The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition
Sajith Premadasa questioned the continued use of the 2022 Aswesuma eligibility criteria, noting that both his side and the current President had previously opposed them, and called for a scientific, data-driven revalidation of targeting and poverty lines. He argued that poverty alleviation should go beyond cash transfers to include investment, savings, production, exports and consumption. He also urged the Government to strengthen trade facilitation by appointing a dedicated trade representative or agency staffed by capable public officers to retain and expand investments.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, two clarifications:
¶ 02 On Aswesuma, the 2022 criteria were opposed by us and by the then Opposition MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, now the President. You continue under those 2022 criteria without a scientifically grounded overhaul. A true poverty programme must integrate investment, savings, production, exports, and consumption; mere cash transfers only address consumption. I urge a scientific, data-driven revalidation of targeting and poverty lines.
¶ 03 On trade, the Government has a duty of trade facilitation. I propose appointing a dedicated trade representative/agency using capable public officers to retain and grow such investments.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 20 June 2025 ·No. 1751600792021434 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 20 June 2025. No. 1751600792021434. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/1898