The Hon. (Dr.) Sellaththamby Thilaganathan

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, the total allocation to the Ministry of Defence this year is Rs. 442 billion, an increase of Rs. 12 billion over last year — a 3 percent rise. This is largely due to the salary increments granted to the armed forces. Only when a country’s security is ensured can it achieve proper development. With improved security, we have seen the stock market rise and tourist arrivals increase this year, indicating national growth.

¶ 02 Under Defence, there are six departments — Sri Lanka Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Security Department, Coast Guard, and the Department of Meteorology — and 19 statutory boards and funds, including the Disaster Management Centre, National Disaster Management Council, Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU), and the National Building Research Organisation.

¶ 03 Allocations: Army Rs. 225,525 million; Navy Rs. 92,563 million; Air Force Rs. 72,175 million; Civil Security Department Rs. 22,430 million; landslide mitigation Rs. 4,105 million; disaster relief Rs. 2,531 million; disaster mitigation Rs. 678 million; development activities Rs. 13,251 million.

¶ 04 For development, nearly Rs. 5,000 million is allocated to KDU. Started in 1981 as a defence academy, upgraded to university status in 1988, and brought under the Defence Ministry in 2007, it is now under the UGC. It has two campuses and 15 departments, with new campuses to be opened in Kurunegala and Dambulla. Its teaching hospital has seven ICUs and 889 beds, functioning very well.

¶ 05 In the Northern Province, lands occupied by the military are being released in stages. In Mullaitivu District, out of 47,000 families, only 272 families’ lands remain under acquisition. Across its five DS Divisions, military-held lands total 1,494 acres — both State and private: Maruthankerny DS 744.33 acres; Puthukkudiyiruppu 156.22; Oddusuddan 140.13; Thunukkai 433.50; Manthai East 20. Under our Government, these will soon be released for public use. Thank you.