The Hon. (Prof.) A.H.M.H. Abayarathna - Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government
Approximately 735,110 pensioners are currently recorded, with about 2,500 new pensioners added monthly, and annual pension allocations have increased from Rs. 263,279 million in 2020 to Rs. 441,300 million in 2025. The Minister stated that pension benefits to spouses and eligible children are provided under the relevant Widows’, Widowers’ and Orphans’ pension laws, with unreduced pensions payable to spouses and orphans’ pensions payable to unemployed children under 26 where applicable. He noted that actual use of such pensions depends on the economic circumstances of the family unit.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 (a) (i) Approximately 735,110 pensioners. About 2,500 are added each month. (ii) Budgetary provision for pensions (Rs. million): - 2020: 263,279 - 2021: 273,272 - 2023: 374,555 - 2024: 397,487 - 2025: 441,300
¶ 02 (b) (i) Accepted. However, actual use depends on the economic status of the family unit. (ii) Upon the death of a pensioner in public service or the armed forces, the unreduced pension calculated on the qualifying salary is granted to the spouse as Widow/Widower’s Pension. If the spouse is deceased and there are children under 26 years not employed, an Orphans’ Pension is paid until age 26 or until employment, whichever occurs first, based on the unreduced pension. Applicable statutes include: - Widows’ and Orphans’ Pension Fund Ordinance, No. 1 of 1898, and amendments; - Widowers and Orphans’ Pension Act, No. 24 of 1983, and amendments; - Widows’ and Orphans’ Pension Scheme (Armed Forces) Act, No. 18 of 1970, and amendments; - Widowers and Orphans’ Pension Scheme (Armed Forces) Act, No. 60 of 1998; - School Teachers’ Pension Act, No. 44 of 1953; - School Teachers’ Pension (Amendment) Act, No. 32 of 2008; - Local Government Service Widows’ and Orphans’ Pension Fund (Amendment) Act, No. 16 of 1974.
¶ 03 (c) Not applicable.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 13 November 2025 ·No. 22816 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Prof.) A.H.M.H. Abayarathna - Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 13 November 2025. No. 22816. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/26956