Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa stated at the weekly Cabinet media briefing held today (27) that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has driven up global fuel costs and directly affected the prices of goods and services in Sri Lanka.
Addressing further, Minister Jayatissa stated that despite sharp fuel price hikes over the past few days following multiple increases even as the government provided subsidies authorities are taking every possible measure to cushion the public from rising living costs.
To mitigate financial pressures, the government has allocated Rs. 17.5 billion in electricity bill subsidies, increased Aswesuma welfare benefits, and stepped in to provide Rs. 6,000 each to 1.5 million schoolchildren this year.
The Minister further explained that funding equivalent to the additional allocations intended for annual public sector salary increases has generally been set aside for fuel subsidies. He emphasized that while the administration is working to introduce further relief measures, any additional assistance will need to be funded strictly through available Treasury resources amid ongoing global economic uncertainty. (Newswire)