The Hon. R. M. Gamini Rathnayake

¶ 01 I will conclude briefly, Hon. Presiding Member.

¶ 02 This is a Budget where the fruits and benefits of production are fairly received. It also sets aside unprecedented allocations for education and health: Rs. 619 billion for education and Rs. 604 billion for health in 2025—together Rs. 1,223 billion—the highest allocation for these sectors in our history.

¶ 03 It also funds steps for State digitalization—charting a new course for the economy and country.

¶ 04 For generations our school essay on “My Country” ended with “Sri Lanka is a developing country in the Third World.” Our parents and grandparents wrote the same. This inaugural Budget opens the space for the next generation to write a new essay: “Sri Lanka is a developed country.”

¶ 05 Lastly, the Opposition’s lament is that this is an IMF-style Budget, that popularity is waning, salaries do not matter, and funds are not allocated to key sectors. But an international ranking survey indicates that within less than six months, the Government’s popularity has increased from 24% to 62%. With that, I conclude.

¶ 06 Thank you.