The Hon. Ananda Wijepala - Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, I address the Resolution under the Public Security Ordinance to extend the Emergency, and the amendments via regulations under the Army, Navy, and Air Force Acts. The proposed amendments confer distinct benefits, particularly retaining skilled women officers and other ranks for an additional five years, thereby reducing the large cost of repeatedly training new intakes and enhancing efficiency and professionalism across the three services—including benefits in sports and training capacities. This also advances gender equality consistent with the Constitution by aligning age limits of women and men in service.

¶ 02 On the Emergency: due to the “Dicha” cyclone on 27 November, over 2.2 million people were affected. Resettlement and restoration are ongoing. To conduct these tasks actively and efficiently, provisions under the Public Security Ordinance remain necessary—especially the functions of the Commissioner General of Essential Services. Certain regulations facilitated duty remission for specific imports essential for disaster relief. Twenty-nine safe centres still shelter affected families; we must continue essential services to them.

¶ 03 Our “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” program proceeds from village level to the national level. Grants of Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 50,000, support for damaged agriculture, export agriculture, fisheries, and livestock are being delivered as announced by the President. Housing resettlement requires identifying suitable lands; we rely on NBRI to certify non-landslide-prone areas and classify zones by risk to ensure durable solutions rather than temporary fixes.

¶ 04 We have identified 5,866 fully damaged houses. Rs. 5 million per fully damaged house is being provided, with an initial tranche of Rs. 2 million already being disbursed, while resolving land identification issues where needed. This is an unprecedented relief program implemented effectively. Though some in the Opposition offer opportunistic criticism, we ensure essential services and prevent undue hardship.

¶ 05 Global conditions—particularly in the Middle East—have caused fuel issues across many countries, with potential impacts on electricity and LPG prices. When world prices rise, domestic prices adjust accordingly, but we cushion the impact—for instance, the Government bears Rs. 100 per litre on diesel and Rs. 20 per litre on petrol to mitigate burden. Our capacity to manage these shocks rests on the economic stabilization achieved within a year from a bankrupt position.

¶ 06 We allocated Rs. 500 billion for “Dicha” cyclone relief and a further Rs. 100 billion to provide price relief for vulnerable groups. This is possible because we built a stronger macro foundation. Price surges affect all countries; our role is to manage them. We are a people-centred, democratic Government and will continue to act accordingly. Whatever the source—cyclone or external conflicts—if people face pressure, we will take maximum measures to alleviate it. Thank you.