• To streamline the process of strengthening livelihoods  

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led National People’s Power (NPP) of the Parliamentary Opposition stated that its future Government will not suspend any subsidies given to the people, but will streamline the process of strengthening the livelihoods of underprivileged social groups.

Addressing a public meeting held yesterday (8), JVP and NPP Leader and Opposition Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that there should be a social safety programme to protect the underprivileged social groups and to uplift their livelihoods while supporting them to get out of poverty. He also noted that Sri Lanka is one of the countries that allocate the least percentage of its gross domestic product for subsidies in South Asia, even though many parties claim that Sri Lanka currently has more than enough subsidies. MP Dissanayake stated that even so-called developed Western countries are giving subsidies to their underprivileged social groups whose income level is relatively lower. He also noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic, many developed countries, such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom took care of their underprivileged social groups and provided the required economic support.

He also stated that those groups were provided necessary assistance during economic hardships, such as the loss of employment, to fulfil children’s educational necessities. Stating that the subsidies must be given only to empower those underprivileged social groups economically, he also stated that any such benefits must not cripple the people’s ability to stand on their own two feet. However, he noted that empowering such social groups is a major responsibility of any Government.