Anura Kumara Dissanayake has announced a comprehensive Rs. 100 billion economic relief package to ease the impact of the ongoing Middle East conflict on Sri Lanka.
Addressing Parliament today (07), the President said the relief measures will mainly focus on fuel, energy, and gas sectors, which have been significantly affected by global developments.
As part of the fuel concession, the government will provide a subsidy of Rs. 100 per litre of diesel and Rs. 20 per litre of petrol, based on fuel prices calculated on or around May 1. The government is expected to bear a monthly cost of Rs. 20 billion, with Rs. 60 billion allocated for the three-month programme. However, super diesel and super petrol will continue to be sold at market prices.
The relief package also includes targeted support for the fisheries sector. A subsidy of Rs. 50 per litre of fuel will be provided for single-day fishing boats for three months, capped at 25 litres per day and 25 days per month. In addition, multi-day fishing vessels will receive a lump sum allowance of Rs. 150,000.
In the agriculture sector, the fertiliser subsidy for paddy cultivation has been increased from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000, while the subsidy for other crops has been raised from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 18,000.
Further, under the Aswesuma welfare programme, allowances for April have been increased. The Rs. 17,500 payment has been raised to Rs. 25,000, the Rs. 10,000 allowance to Rs. 15,000, and the Rs. 5,000 allowance to Rs. 7,500.
The President noted that these relief measures will be implemented over the next three months, with future decisions to be taken depending on global developments.
