The Government would have spent Rs.90 billion on anti-Coronavirus efforts by December end, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa told Parliament yesterday.

Participating in the debate for the Third Reading of the Budget, Prime Minister Rajapaksa said no one expected the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, but the country had to face this pandemic. “Under the current situation we have spent Rs. 70 billion for the anti-COVID drive and by the time the Budget was presented it had increased to Rs. 80 billion and we expect it to increase further to Rs. 90 billion by end December.”

The Prime Minister said that despite the pandemic, the Government managed to maintain the Rupee at a steady level, which is a clear indication that the Government has successfully steered the country through this global pandemic. He said that it is a victory of the Government to be able to maintain exports while reducing the imports, which helped to boost our foreign reserves. This, he said is the best way for the country to move forward.

The Premier praised the health services and Security Forces for handling the situation effectively. Commenting on the relief measures provided to the people during the pandemic, he said, “we decided to provide food packs worth Rs.10, 000 to those under Quarantine and Rs.5000 to those affected by the pandemic and had lost their livelihoods”.

“These are the serious challenges that we have had to face. This is an opportune moment for us to realise how tied up we are with the world. What is happening globally even affects this House as countries that depend on other countries becomes quite helpless,” the Prime Minister pointed out.

He said that had the country’s economy been made strong domestically, then we would have been in a better position to face this current crisis. “This is the lesson that the pandemic taught us. That is why we thought of building up our domestic agriculture sector through our ‘Vistas of Prosperity’ policy statement. This budget was formed on the focus lines of our policy statement and that is why it is different from other budgets. In previous budgets the main focus was on bridging the budget deficit. However, this budget was formulated with the aim of uplifting the local farmers and local industrialists with the aim of building a strong local economy. Hence, we have given special consideration to the agriculture sector as this is the best way to strengthen the country,” he noted.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa said that thus far, farmers were paid only Rs. 32 per kilo of paddy, but this Government had increased it to Rs. 50 and also provided the farmers fertilizer for free, which enabled the farmers to double their profits.

He said that there were allegations against the Government that nothing was offered to the public in this budget. However, he said that the Government did not formulate this budget targeting the next election. “The people have accepted our economic drive. We don’t intend to hoodwink the people. We have allocated Rs. 350 million for road development through this budget. After Governor Edward Barnes, it is our Government that has embarked on the greatest road development revolution.”

The Prime Minister noted that between 2005 and 2010 his Government had built the most number of roads, but they had been criticised for it. However, he said today the people are benefiting. “Are only the ministers or the wealthy using these roads today? It is the ordinary citizens who are making use of these roads. Most of the rural produce is being brought to the cities to be traded via these roads. However, those who could not even build a few kilometres cannot understand this. They only waste time criticising us but have done nothing.”

He said that the Rs.350 billion from this budget is what the government intends on putting into the people’s pockets. “We have allocated Rs.135 billion for drinking water projects. We have allocated that to provide drinking water for everyone by the year 2024. In addition to these initiatives, another Rs.2000 billion worth of projects are being implemented in this manner including the 600 MW power projects. The Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport expansion and the port expansion would also be covered under these projects.”

He said that all of this is being done for the benefit of the people, adding that it was his Government that had carried out major reforms in this country that benefited the people.

The Prime Minister also said that most of the country’s laws and regulations are outdated and these are currently being reviewed. He said that a circular has been compiled with clear monetary regulations and it is expected to be issued by the end of the first quarter of 2021. Further, he said that 20 new judges were appointed in order to clear the huge backlog of cases. He noted that if justice is not served at the right time, it will be harmful to the people. Hence, the Prime Minister said that measures are being taken to uplift the judicial network and upgrade it to greater efficiency using modern technology. The dilapidated court houses would also be renovated as these belong to the people.

Commenting on the efforts taken by the government to enhance the country’s export capacity, he noted that by September the exports stood at over US$ 1,000 million and in comparison to September 2019 it is a 4.8% rise.