The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Chairman.

¶ 02 On today’s debate, I wish to raise some points regarding Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment.

¶ 03 About 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Thus, rural development is national development. Main livelihoods are agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries; in the hill country, tea, rubber, and spices. Yet agriculture contributes only about 7–8 percent to GDP, while around 25–30 percent of the workforce is engaged in it. This shows low productivity from a large human resource base. Therefore, integrating rural working classes as stakeholders in national production is essential.

¶ 04 Rural development must be sustainable, addressing multi-sectoral needs. To eradicate rural poverty, we must enable production: release land for productive use. In our regions, many lands are occupied by various state departments and the military, preventing productive contribution. Such lands must be released for national development. Also, many are landless; allocating land to the landless is vital for economic progress.

¶ 05 Due to prolonged absence of civil administration in our regions, numerous irrigation tanks are abandoned or underused. The government must rehabilitate these tanks to support productive livelihoods.

¶ 06 I note that the 2026 Budget allocates a notable sum for rural development. As local authorities are principal stakeholders, allocations should be disbursed to all local bodies without political bias.

¶ 07 Social protection plays a key role for vulnerable groups: persons with disabilities, elders, chronically ill, female-headed households, and low-income earners. In the North and East there are many female-headed households; they should be recognized as a priority group.

¶ 08 For Social Security, Rs. 387 billion is allocated for 2026. Around 7 percent of the population has disabilities, with a higher prevalence in the war-affected North and East. As former Northern Province Health Minister, we conducted surveys and initiated special programmes: constructing accessible toilets for persons with disabilities, mobile services for bedridden patients, and monthly allowances — first started in our Province.

¶ 09 In Mullaitivu District, a rehabilitation hospital was established in Mankulam but still operates with many deficiencies; further support is needed. In addition to general allocations, the North and East require extra funding for welfare programmes.

¶ 10 Recently, through the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva and I held discussions in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi with government and non-governmental organizations serving persons with disabilities. Requests included: establish special education facilities in every Divisional Secretariat, as public transport is poor and students cannot travel long distances. Also, legislate reserved seating in public transport for persons with disabilities. Continue mobile services for bedridden patients. Housing for persons with disabilities is crucial; houses must be built with accessible features, requiring higher funding — I propose at least Rs. 2 million per house for such tailored construction.

¶ 11 Regarding livelihoods, provide low-interest, easily accessible credit. While the Deputy Minister mentioned concessional loans, beneficiaries remain too few because banks impose stringent conditions that these individuals cannot meet. Please ensure truly soft loans.

¶ 12 In the Aswesuma programme, there is a serious flaw: officials consider the electricity bill amount to decide eligibility, denying benefits if the bill is high. Persons with disabilities often need multiple electrical devices — fans for bedridden individuals, and other assistive equipment — leading to higher bills. Denying Aswesuma on this basis is unjust. Please instruct that electricity bills not be the sole criterion for eligibility.

¶ 13 Another concern: upon aging out (after 18) from institutional care — children’s homes or special institutions — many have no jobs, accommodation, or land. They need land, housing, vocational training, and start-up support. I trust the Minister will pay urgent attention.

¶ 14 Lastly, a request: from Mullaitivu District, for the first time, a non-verbal student with special needs has gained university admission through self-effort. However, in our country…