Time has come to think of future of the country rather than short term gains: Ravi K

Tuesday, 8 December 2015 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake says that the time is ripe for the people to think of the future rather than short-term benefits as a budget to strengthen the future of the country has been introduced. The Minister points out that the repercussions of wrong and ad hoc decisions taken in the past had today affected the entire nation.

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake stated this at a ceremony held on Sunday (6) morning at Pradeepa Hall, Mutwal to donate cash and cement to low income families in the area for the construction of houses.

Speaking further the Minister said, “From this budget we have proposed to construct 1,000 houses in each village. This is being done through a collective effort of the people and the Government. A provision of Rs. 41.0 billion has been allocated from the budget for this purpose. We hope to construct 15,000 houses for the people of Colombo North.”

The Minister also commented on the funds allocated from the budget for education.

“We have allocated the highest provision from this budget for the Ministry of Education. It amounts to Rs. 1,620 million. We defeated terrorism through the power of weapons. But the way to eliminate terrorism completely is education. That is why President Maithripala Sirisena and the Prime Minister took a joint decision to allocate the highest ever amount allocation in the history for education. The former Education Minister who said that people can survive with Rs. 2,500 a month is dumbfounded today.”

At this ceremony, a soft loan of Rs. 100,000 each was distributed among 181 low income families under the ‘Diiviyata Saviyak’ program implemented on a concept of the Finance Minister and the beneficiaries also received cement for the construction of their houses.

National Housing Development Authority Chairman Sagara Palansuriya, Colombo Municipal Councillors Roy Yardley Fernando, Roy Bogahawatta, Mahendra Silva and a large number of residents of the area were present on the occasion.