The Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, I consider it a privilege to speak on day one of the debate on the 2026 Budget.

¶ 02 This morning on Neth FM’s “Rathu Katta,” an Opposition MP said the Budget speech was like a priest preaching in a temple. I listened to his full hour — he ended with the same line. In fact, that analogy fits themselves. The Opposition Leader called this a Budget without relief and claimed we are building a constitutional autocracy by rejecting pluralistic democracy. We do not need a long history to answer that; we saw a model of unconstitutional despotism in the last five years — from a former President who even went into remand. That was the reality we witnessed.

¶ 03 This Budget invites humanity and adopts an economically sound approach. Our path is clear: to uplift marginalized groups and those in adverse conditions and achieve economic development with everyone moving together — an invitation to a society that seeks social justice. The largest such group is persons with disabilities — over 1.6 million. We addressed their key issues. First, we gave a Rs. 10,000 monthly allowance, and we have allocated Rs. 19,000 million to continue it across next year.

¶ 04 We rarely see persons with disabilities on main roads or in transport because for 76 years we have failed to ensure accessibility. Government must decisively intervene to create access — it is an obligation, not optional. This Budget provides Rs. 1,000 million specifically to build accessibility: to access public toilets, hospitals, and transport; to overcome stairs at railway stations, bus stands, police, courts, and other places. A wheelchair user is helpless before a stairway; these funds aim to end that helplessness, with a separate budget line to ensure it is not lost in the general stream.

¶ 05 Another growing issue is children with intellectual disabilities. They are part of our human family; protecting and caring for them is a duty of Government and society. We intervened last year and this year with Day-Care Protection Centres; Rs. 547 million is allocated to continue them next year, to ensure safe lives for these children and to relieve parents so they can participate in the economy.

¶ 06 Education cannot exclude persons with disabilities. Due to financial and facilities constraints they face challenges. The President has acted to resolve this: Rs. 5,000 per month for school-going disabled children to keep them in education; an additional Rs. 5,000 per month for university students with disabilities, on top of Mahapola, to support their studies. We have also formulated a national policy for universities to allow students with disabilities to enter disciplines aligned to their aspirations and abilities. This is inclusivity — creating facilities in the mainstream so persons with disabilities can live unimpeded social lives.

¶ 07 We also must ensure economic lives. Government will enforce the 3% public-sector employment quota for persons with disabilities, in place since 1988, and will support those employed in the private sector with a wage subsidy up to Rs. 15,000 per month for 24 months. This is an economic plan that balances economy and humanity — a step toward a humane country where persons with disabilities enjoy a dignified life. In bringing this Budget, the President and the NPP have earned the gratitude and trust of over 1.6 million persons with disabilities.

¶ 08 Thank you.