The Hon. Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi

¶ 01 Mr. Presiding Member, the Minister this morning clarified the purpose of approving the Aswesuma payment scheme under the Welfare Benefits Act. We must accept that many still struggle; every government spoke of social empowerment, but usually only rulers were empowered, not the people. Hence the need to continue schemes like Aswesuma until we convert lives of mere survival into lives of dignity.

¶ 02 Literacy in Sri Lanka is high, yet development outcomes are weak. Poverty and ignorance intertwine with drug abuse and social decay—even in homes in Colombo district. That is why education reform is necessary.

¶ 03 About the “copybook”: it was used selectively for children struggling with letter formation; it was never universal, nor is it banned now. The new reforms do not prohibit copybooks. Some criticize without reading the reform documents—like dogs howling in chorus without knowing why. No Opposition Member asked for a proper briefing; in Opposition we sought information proactively—that is the duty of an opposition MP. Many do not attend committees or do the work but arrive here for a few minutes to speak and leave.

¶ 04 Our responsibility, especially as the Government, is to lift people from dependency into a productive economy. Through schemes like Aswesuma, we can transition beneficiaries into contributors. Thank you.