The Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage - Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, I will conclude the debate on our Ministry by responding to several points. The Opposition raised the updating of Aswasuma data. Though it is not strictly under us, I will clarify. They called it “cupboard-ism,” but it is their own “cupboard-style” data system. I invite them to read our policy statement “Prosperous Country – Beautiful Life,” especially page 65, which clearly states that the data system comprises six primary data types and 22 auxiliary data types. We have stated that benefits this year are based on this system, and that we will update it within a year. We understood the complexity before forming the Government and are acting accordingly.

¶ 02 On the Samurdhi Development Department: when we took office in 2022, Aswasuma operating under the Finance Ministry had undermined the Department. We have now re-strengthened it for national social empowerment. For approximately 20,000 Samurdhi Development Officers, about 2,300 Samurdhi Managers, and around 2,400 Development Officers, we increased the monthly office allowance from Rs. 500 to Rs. 2,000 in rural areas and Rs. 3,000 in urban areas. Graduates attached to Samurdhi Banks have been assigned proper duties with applicable allowances from this year. For years there was no promotion scheme; we have now conducted examinations and instituted promotions for Management Assistant (JM 1-1), Samurdhi Management (MN 7), Executive Service (SL 1), and Samurdhi Management (JM 1-1) grades.

¶ 03 Many long-serving officers since the Department’s inception in 1994 could not retire due to court matters and erroneous decisions. Last week, the Cabinet decided to grant retirement to all those eligible.

¶ 04 Finally, for the elderly allowance, we increased it from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 5,000. The current number of beneficiaries, about 857,000, will be raised to 1,020,000. Through these measures, we aim for an inclusive approach...