President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says the government has introduced a new relief package, taking into consideration the impact of the ongoing Middle East conflict on Sri Lanka.
Addressing the Parliament today (07), President Dissanayake said attention was focused on three main aspects, which are fuel, energy, and gas.
Speaking on the fuel concession, the President said that the fuel cost will be calculated on 1 May or a closer date, and based on that actual cost, Rs. 100 per litre of diesel and Rs. 20 per litre of petrol will be provided as a subsidy.
He added that the government will bear an expense of Rs. 20 billion per month for this purpose, with Rs. 60 billion allocated for the three-month plan.
Super diesel and super petrol will be provided based on the current market price, he said.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake went on to note that Rs. 100 billion has been allocated for the economic relief package.
Giving further details on the economic relief package, he said a subsidy of Rs. 50 per litre of fuel for three months will be granted for single-day fishing boats, capped at 25 litres per day for up to 25 days per month.
He further said that a lump sum allowance of Rs. 150,000 will be paid to multi-day fishing vessels.
Announcing details of concessions for fertilizer, the President said the Rs.25,000 fertiliser subsidy granted for paddy has been increased to Rs. 30,000.
He further said that the Rs. 15,000 subsidy for additional crops has been increased to Rs. 18,000.
Announcing the special relief package related to the Aswesuma allowance, President Dissanayake said that the allowance will be increased for the month of April.
He revealed that the Rs. 17,500 allowance has been increased to Rs. 25,000, the Rs. 10,000 allowance to Rs. 15,000, and the Rs. 5,000 allowance to Rs. 7,500.
Stating that the economic relief package has been prepared for the next three months, the President said the future course of action will have to be determined in line with global affairs.
Watch the President’s speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWm2NgMzUp0 (Newswire)