The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake

¶ 01 It will reduce by at least two billion; it will certainly reduce. You have made big claims in this Budget speech; it is fine to boast, but also speak about what others did. Do not say that Ranil Wickremesinghe did nothing for two years. I am speaking logically based on accurate Central Bank data on the dollar reserves and foreign reserves. So, do not ignore those facts.

¶ 02 Next, about the Police. During the previous Yahapalana Government, many new police stations were established. Hon. Minister in charge of Police, now most of those stations operate in rented premises. In the Badulla District, twelve newly established police stations exist, but there are no government buildings; they are paying rent. Not a single station has a proper building. For one station, rent is about Rs. 100,000; some places pay Rs. 75,000, etc. Let me list the new stations in Badulla District: Ambagasdowa, Liyanagahawela, Haldummulla, Kandegedara, Kahatagahapitiya, Keppetipola, Galauda, Araawa, Mahiyanganaya, and others. These are new stations but are running with difficulty. Not even 50 percent has been allocated from the Budget for them. Please look into these; because they run in rented places, they are in severe difficulty. I need to say this now.

¶ 03 Also, “A Prosperous Country – Beautiful Life” has an allocation of Rs. 300 million. Can a country become prosperous with just Rs. 300 million? The Budget Book says Rs. 300 million is allocated for this. How can you build a prosperous country with Rs. 300 million? Hon. Minister, look at page 40 of this book. Rs. 300 million is allocated for awareness programs on a designated day. With Rs. 300 million, you cannot make a prosperous country; please accept that. You cannot even begin with Rs. 300 million.