The Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage
The member stated that festive-season relief payments would be increased for vulnerable groups, including raising assistance for the extremely poor from Rs. 17,500 to Rs. 25,000 and increasing other poor and transitional benefits to Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 7,500 respectively. He also said relief would be provided on electricity bills for consumers using under 90 units, and support would be given to fisherfolk and farmers affected by the fuel situation. He noted a temporary ceasefire in the Middle East and said the Government hoped for normalization while preparing for adverse outcomes.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, grant me one minute to conclude.
¶ 02 For the extremely poor who were receiving Rs. 17,500, we will grant Rs. 25,000 this festive season. For those identified as poor, Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 10,000 benefits will be increased to Rs. 15,000. For the transitional group receiving Rs. 5,000, we will increase it to Rs. 7,500. Our duty is to cushion the lowest strata. We will also provide relief on electricity bills for consumers under 90 units. Fisherfolk and farmers affected by the fuel situation will receive necessary support.
¶ 03 We have encouraging news from the Middle East—there is now a temporary ceasefire. We hope the situation will normalize quickly. While hoping for the best, we are prepared for the worst. Thank you for the time, Hon. Presiding Member.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 8 April 2026 ·No. 23474 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 8 April 2026. No. 23474. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/944