The Hon. (Dr.) Namal Sudarshana - Deputy Minister of Women and Child Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity to comment on the second Budget of the National People’s Power Government.

¶ 02 Over the past days, many Government and Opposition MPs have commented. From this prudent Budget Statement, we sense the economy has strengthened and stabilized. Within that frame, the Budget organizes programs to deliver benefits to rural people — Clean Sri Lanka, digitalization, and other initiatives to drive development to the village and end rural poverty. As of June, financial progress exceeded 58%. We are confident this will surpass 70% within the next two months.

¶ 03 Some allege we ignored preschool education and teachers. Not so. We increased the Teachers’ Dignity Allowance from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 6,000 from last June. We increased the preschool meal allocation per child from Rs. 60 to Rs. 100 in the previous Budget. Beyond allocations, we have finalized a National Policy on Preschool Education, jointly with the Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Education. The 13th Amendment placed ECD under Provinces, creating disparities and confusion — divergent curricula, inconsistent teacher qualifications, and unregulated diploma institutes. We have now registered about 102 diploma‑awarding institutes via the National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development, and are standardizing curricula and regulating quality. The policy’s pillars include: equitable access, high quality standards, professional development and workforce standards, and governance and financing, with appropriate central, provincial and local roles.

¶ 04 On institutionalized children — those marginalized, deprived of care — last year we allocated Rs. 1,000 million to provide Rs. 5,000 per child (Rs. 2,000 to the child’s account and Rs. 3,000 to caregivers for expenses). There are 354 institutions (46 state, 308 voluntary) housing about 9,246 children. We also proposed Rs. 1 million per child turning 18 and exiting care, to support housing. We found land access is a key barrier. Therefore, this year we allocate Rs. 2,000 million to give up to Rs. 2 million per eligible youth to purchase land, build, or repair a house. Under Clean Sri Lanka and through Provincial Councils, we are improving these institutions.

¶ 05 This Budget leaves no one behind: orphans, children without guardianship, preschoolers, those facing social injustice, and our rural poor. That is why we call it a Budget that excludes no one.