By Saman Indrajith

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa called on all parties in Parliament to join hands with the government to usher in a new era.

Participating in the second-reading-stage debate on Budget 2022, the Premier said that the government had decided to increase investment in developing social infrastructure despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

“We are passing through trying times and the country’s public financial sector faces numerous challenges. However, we have decided to steer ahead despite challenges. We have given jobs to 60,000 unemployed graduates. With the intention of eliminating poverty, 100,000 jobs have been given to the youth from the low-income earning families. The government spends around 3.5 billion rupees a month to pay the salaries of newly recruited. We have taken every action needed to save the lives of the people from the pandemic,” the Prime Minister said.

He said: “In the recent past, we have had to face many challenges in terms of public finance. Nevertheless, we look forward to continuing to revive the economy and facilitate growth as expected in the years to come.

“The foreign sector of our economy is facing challenges due to the impact of the COVID -19 pandemic but the Government and the Central Bank are taking steps to secure foreign exchange inflows in the future to improve foreign exchange reserves, liquidity and ease pressure on the rupee, ‘’ the Prime Minister said. Furthermore, he said that with the resumption of the global tourism industry, significant positive growth is expected in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry in the future.

“Whilst stating that the Government was working with the Central Bank to promote foreign employment and attract remittances to the banking system, the Prime Minister also stated that Government is also pleased with the recent announcement by the Central Bank of its ‘Six Month Vision to Ensure Macroeconomic and Financial Systems Sustainability’ aimed at further enhancing the confidence of all stakeholders in the economy, including short-term strategic plans to strengthen the stability of the foreign sector.

“We know that the economy is going through a challenging period. We are confident that the progressive proposals made in this Budget will strengthen the economy in the years to come and beyond. Our Futuristic Plans are clearly stated in the policy implemented under the leadership of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

He said the government had continued to implement the policies of the ‘Prosperity Vision’, even within the limited fiscal space.

“This Budget has given good support to the implementation of people centered social and economic policies that benefit all. I urge all to join hands with the Sustainable Solutions Program that we are implementing to overcome the challenges facing the country and contribute to the progress of the country.” he said.