The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe - Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, as we debate two important ministries, let me first note some initiatives under Trade alongside key issues under the Department of Divineguma Development (now implementing the “Aswesuma” programme) under Community Empowerment.

¶ 02 Sri Lanka is surrounded by sea, yet per capita fish consumption is low, contributing to malnutrition and low birthweight. We are working to ensure affordable fish to the public. We have proposed a network to sell processed fish through Sathosa outlets in collaboration with the Fisheries Corporation—cleaned, portioned, frozen packs—making it easy for households. We plan to expand our retail network by 1,000 outlets over the next three years.

¶ 03 On the Community Empowerment side: the Divineguma Department faces longstanding staff issues arising from past political interventions during transitions from Samurdhi to Divineguma to Aswesuma. Around 23,000 staff were in Samurdhi; options were given when establishing Divineguma; many took EPF/ETF and joined Divineguma; over 3,000 did not, and some still lack appointment letters. Retirees face 7–8 month delays in pensions due to unresolved matters. Funds under certain Samurdhi schemes—over Rs. 30 billion—remain unsettled.

¶ 04 There are 1,100 Samurdhi Banks working in isolation, continuing deposits while some project funding trails are unclear. We plan to digitize and network these banks, strengthen Samurdhi as a community empowerment vehicle, and resolve staff issues so they can serve with morale.

¶ 05 In July 2023, the Director of Pensions gazetted a requirement for retirees to repay 60% Government contributions from EPF/ETF. Court action is ongoing; we must await its outcome. About 2,808 officers are affected. Meanwhile, departments have asked prospective retirees to certify willingness to repay 60%, or their retirement processing would stall. This has caused anxiety. I have submitted a Cabinet Paper addressing: policy on recovery of the 60%, avoiding a 4% surcharge burden that can exceed gratuity, issuing pending appointments (8,374 appointees since 2017), and ensuring retirees can receive benefits without obstacles. Once the court matter is concluded, we will implement decisions accordingly, strengthen Samurdhi institutions, and build a sound microfinance system for rural communities.