The Hon. Dilip Wedaarachchi
Hon. Dilip Wedaarachchi requested the Minister to establish a five-member selection committee of relevant state officers in each Grama Niladhari Division to identify poor households fairly. He said VAT reductions may lower prices generally, but relief schemes often fail to reach the poorest because benefits are distributed according to outdated lists. Referring to the proposed Sinhala and Hindu New Year package of goods worth Rs. 5,000 for Rs. 2,500, he urged that it be extended to all poor and vulnerable people during the current difficult period.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Minister, appoint at the level of each Grama Niladhari Division a selection committee consisting of five relevant state officers, division by division. Then all the poor people in those divisions can be selected. That is what I ask. We must speak the truth on this.
¶ 02 If VAT is reduced, the prices of consumer goods drop, and everyone benefits. But this relief does not reach the poor. The goods go to those already on earlier lists. You said that for Sinhala and Hindu New Year, goods worth Rs. 5,000 will be provided for Rs. 2,500. That is good. I request that this relief be given to all poor and innocent people. This is a very difficult time; in this most difficult time, please give this New Year relief to those people.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 19 March 2025 ·No. 1748499233099643 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Dilip Wedaarachchi. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 19 March 2025. No. 1748499233099643. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/25288