President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says the government will work to create a safer and more hopeful future for Sri Lankan women, while also expanding economic support, housing assistance and protection for children and vulnerable groups.
Addressing the National People’s Power (NPP) International Women’s Day celebration held at the P.D. Sirisena Grounds in Colombo today (08), the President said the best measure of whether a government is good or bad is the confidence women have in it.
He said the large turnout of women at the event reflected the public’s trust in the current administration and its governance.
The President said the government’s aim was to build “a smiling future” for generations of women in Sri Lanka who have long carried pain, hardship and heavy burdens.
He said the government would move to ensure that every woman and girl in Sri Lanka could live with confidence and security, while also strengthening laws and other measures to address violence against women and children.
Dissanayake said a financial assistance programme would be implemented this year and next year to help women with limited economic means become active participants in the economy.
He said the government had also allocated funds through the Women’s Affairs Ministry and the Finance Ministry to support women-led self-employment and small business projects, including low-interest and interest-free loans, while the State would also step in to provide guarantees for bank loans in some cases.
The President said the government would introduce regulation through a microfinance law to prevent women from being exploited through high-interest lending, noting that many women had suffered due to debt burdens over the years.
He also outlined plans to ease the burden on families through housing and education support, including proposals to build 31,000 new houses in 2026 and assist families whose homes were damaged by natural disasters.
Dissanayake said programmes would also be launched to renovate unsafe homes where girls face risks, while special attention would be given to children in probation care, including support for housing and savings.
The President further said the government remained committed to eradicating narcotics, describing drugs as a major threat to the future of children and a source of deep anxiety for mothers across the country.
On the economy, he said the government had achieved greater macroeconomic stability, citing low inflation, improved reserves, rising export earnings, tourism income and worker remittances, but added that such gains must translate into real improvements in people’s daily lives.
He also said Sri Lanka should be positioned globally as a nation that carries the flag of humanity in times of conflict, and pledged to build what he described as “a Sri Lanka of humanity” where women, children and vulnerable communities are treated with dignity and compassion. (Newswire)
