A new programme that allows migrant workers to obtain housing loans will be implemented within a few days, Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara said.
Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said that discussions with the banking sector and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in this regard have been completed.
Under the new programme, Sri Lankans employed overseas can obtain housing loans at lower interest rates than other people, he said.
Meanwhile, the Labour and Foreign Employment Minister pointed out that the proposed duty-free allowance based on remittances of migrant workers is yet to be implemented.
Manusha Nanayakkara said that it has been 04 months since Cabinet approval was granted for the proposed duty-free allowance.
“Even though it is 04 months since Cabinet approval was granted for the proposed allowance scheme, the officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank have not yet taken the necessary measures in this regard,” he said.
Minister Manusha Nanayakkara made the remarks while participating in the International Migrants Day celebration held at the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE). (NewsWire)