3.46 p.m. - Commando Allowance to be increased to Rs 5,000 from the current Rs 1,000 per month.
3.42 p.m. - Another Rs 2,500 allowance to given to state sector employees.
3.38 p.m. - Rs 5,000 million allocated for the Light Rail Project from Colombo Fort to Malabe which will commence work in 2019.
3.34 p.m. - Rs 32 billion to be allocated for development of school infrastructure and Rs 25 billion for development of university infrastructure.
3.32 p.m. - From January 01, 2020 approval will be granted for buildings only if they have been made accessible for disabled persons. All government buildings must be able to accommodate disabled persons by 2020.
3.23 p.m. - Rs 100 million to be allocated for the sterilization of stray dogs in the country.
3.22 p.m. - Rs 600 million to uplift Suva Seriya free ambulance service in the country.
3.16 p.m. - Revenue Intelligence Unit to be set up under the Ministry of Finance.
3.15 p.m. - From April 01, 2020 onwards hotels in the country can sign for online bookings only if they are registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
3.13 p.m. - Finance Ministry to introduce a Scholarship for Educational Excellence (C Fund) in order to provide the students with the best G.C.E. Advanced Level examination results in the country an opportunity to study at a top foreign university. Discussions already ongoing with universities such as Harvard, Oxford and MIT.
One condition is that after completing studies they have to work in Sri Lanka for at least 10 years after which they can work in any country.
3.06 p.m. - No foreign construction company will be allowed to bid for government contracts without forming a joint venture with a local company or unless there are fully funded by foreign countries.
3.02 p.m. - Customs import duty and Cess on imported go-karts and go-kart tyres to be removed.
3.01 p.m. - Rs 250 million to be allocated for National Export Strategy.
3.00 p.m. - ‘Sihin Maliga’ loan scheme for expatriates to commence from next month.
2.29 p.m. - A housing loan scheme named “Home Sweet Home” will be introduced for newly-wedded couples with 6% interest rate and a 25-year repayment period with a 2-year grace period.
2.51 p.m. - Rs 50 million allocated for a pilot project to build a arts and crafts village for female convicts.
2.51 p.m. - Rs 50 million allocated for a pilot project to provide skills to imprisoned women in the country.
2.50 p.m. - The Minister said that drug addicts who go into jail come out as drug peddlers. Therefore we propose a pilot project together with Prisons Department to specially employ imprisoned drug addicts while it will be launched in Ambepussa and Weerawila.
2.45 p.m. - Monthly allowance for differently abled persons to be increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000. Rs 4,320 million allocated for this purpose.
2.43 p.m. - Minister announces a sequence of steps to be taken in order to increase the number of women in the country’s work force. He said labour laws will be amended to achieve this.
2.41 p.m. - Public toilets and sanitary facilities in the country will be developed to accommodate the differently abled and Rs 400 million allcoated for this. The private sector will be invited to maintain and manage them.
2.34 p.m. - Rs 1.3 billion to be allocated for the construction of new fisheries harbours in Point Pedro and Pesalai.
2.29 p.m. - Rs 800 million allocated for growing new rubber trees increasing rubber tapping due to the shortage of natural rubber.
2.25 p.m. - Allocation to develop religious places of worship increased from Rs 500,000 to Rs 1 million.
2.24 p.m. - Rs.2,410 million has been allocated to complete the canals & head works of 7 major projects in 2019, Deduru Oya Project, the Menik Ganga Reservoir Project and the Morana Reservoir Project, which will directly benefit almost 21,000 families engaging in Agriculture.
2.23 p.m. - A new toll free hotline (1925) will be introduced to obtain information regarding the “Enterprise Sri Lanka” interest loan scheme.
2.23 p.m. - Over 30,000 entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka have benefitted from Enterprise Sri Lanka while funds amounting to around Rs 60 billion have already been released for this loan scheme.
2.22 p.m. - “Enterprise Sri Lanka” scheme will be broadened and spread further while programmes will be implemented across the island to educate the masses, he said.
2.21 p.m. - Rs 48,000 million to strengthen ‘Gam Peraliya’ programme.
2.20 p.m. - Mangala said that ‘Gam Peraliya’ development programme was the ‘first victim’ the temporary government during the political crisis and that the first Cabinet paper of the current government was to bring it back.
2.17 p.m. - The Budget this year is being introduced under the themed “Enterprise Sri Lanka - Empowering the People, Nurturing the Poor”.
2.16 p.m. - Minister says that anti-dumping regulations will be implemented.
2.10 p.m. - The government believes in growth led by private enterprise, the genuine entrepreneur who uses his ingenuity, the finance minister said.
2.09 p.m. - What we inherited 2015 from the previous government was like a “ticking time bomb,” Minister Mangala Samaraweera says referring to the economy.
2.07 p.m. - Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera begins delivering the budget speech.
The Minister of Finance Managala Samaraweera presented the Budget proposal for the Year 2019 to the Parliament today (5).
The proceedings are scheduled to commence at 2.00 p.m. when the ‘Budget Proposals’ are announced with the reading of the Budget Speech at the second reading of the Appropriation Bill.
The Finance Ministry says that the Budget 2019 will be themed “Enterprise Sri Lanka - Empowering the People, Nurturing the Poor”.
The ministry said it plans to increase public revenue to 17 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with a deficit to 4.5 percent.
The Budget was initially expected to be presented in November 2018 but was postponed due to the constitutional crisis which occurred in the country on 26 October when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked sitting Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa instead.
A Vote on Account was passed following the reinstatement of Wickremesinghe while the Budget 2019 is expected to cover the last eight months of this year.
3.42 p.m. - Another Rs 2,500 allowance to given to state sector employees.
3.38 p.m. - Rs 5,000 million allocated for the Light Rail Project from Colombo Fort to Malabe which will commence work in 2019.
3.34 p.m. - Rs 32 billion to be allocated for development of school infrastructure and Rs 25 billion for development of university infrastructure.
3.32 p.m. - From January 01, 2020 approval will be granted for buildings only if they have been made accessible for disabled persons. All government buildings must be able to accommodate disabled persons by 2020.
3.23 p.m. - Rs 100 million to be allocated for the sterilization of stray dogs in the country.
3.22 p.m. - Rs 600 million to uplift Suva Seriya free ambulance service in the country.
3.16 p.m. - Revenue Intelligence Unit to be set up under the Ministry of Finance.
3.15 p.m. - From April 01, 2020 onwards hotels in the country can sign for online bookings only if they are registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
3.13 p.m. - Finance Ministry to introduce a Scholarship for Educational Excellence (C Fund) in order to provide the students with the best G.C.E. Advanced Level examination results in the country an opportunity to study at a top foreign university. Discussions already ongoing with universities such as Harvard, Oxford and MIT.
One condition is that after completing studies they have to work in Sri Lanka for at least 10 years after which they can work in any country.
3.06 p.m. - No foreign construction company will be allowed to bid for government contracts without forming a joint venture with a local company or unless there are fully funded by foreign countries.
3.02 p.m. - Customs import duty and Cess on imported go-karts and go-kart tyres to be removed.
3.01 p.m. - Rs 250 million to be allocated for National Export Strategy.
3.00 p.m. - ‘Sihin Maliga’ loan scheme for expatriates to commence from next month.
2.29 p.m. - A housing loan scheme named “Home Sweet Home” will be introduced for newly-wedded couples with 6% interest rate and a 25-year repayment period with a 2-year grace period.
2.51 p.m. - Rs 50 million allocated for a pilot project to build a arts and crafts village for female convicts.
2.51 p.m. - Rs 50 million allocated for a pilot project to provide skills to imprisoned women in the country.
2.50 p.m. - The Minister said that drug addicts who go into jail come out as drug peddlers. Therefore we propose a pilot project together with Prisons Department to specially employ imprisoned drug addicts while it will be launched in Ambepussa and Weerawila.
2.45 p.m. - Monthly allowance for differently abled persons to be increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000. Rs 4,320 million allocated for this purpose.
2.43 p.m. - Minister announces a sequence of steps to be taken in order to increase the number of women in the country’s work force. He said labour laws will be amended to achieve this.
2.41 p.m. - Public toilets and sanitary facilities in the country will be developed to accommodate the differently abled and Rs 400 million allcoated for this. The private sector will be invited to maintain and manage them.
2.34 p.m. - Rs 1.3 billion to be allocated for the construction of new fisheries harbours in Point Pedro and Pesalai.
2.29 p.m. - Rs 800 million allocated for growing new rubber trees increasing rubber tapping due to the shortage of natural rubber.
2.25 p.m. - Allocation to develop religious places of worship increased from Rs 500,000 to Rs 1 million.
2.24 p.m. - Rs.2,410 million has been allocated to complete the canals & head works of 7 major projects in 2019, Deduru Oya Project, the Menik Ganga Reservoir Project and the Morana Reservoir Project, which will directly benefit almost 21,000 families engaging in Agriculture.
2.23 p.m. - A new toll free hotline (1925) will be introduced to obtain information regarding the “Enterprise Sri Lanka” interest loan scheme.
2.23 p.m. - Over 30,000 entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka have benefitted from Enterprise Sri Lanka while funds amounting to around Rs 60 billion have already been released for this loan scheme.
2.22 p.m. - “Enterprise Sri Lanka” scheme will be broadened and spread further while programmes will be implemented across the island to educate the masses, he said.
2.21 p.m. - Rs 48,000 million to strengthen ‘Gam Peraliya’ programme.
2.20 p.m. - Mangala said that ‘Gam Peraliya’ development programme was the ‘first victim’ the temporary government during the political crisis and that the first Cabinet paper of the current government was to bring it back.
2.17 p.m. - The Budget this year is being introduced under the themed “Enterprise Sri Lanka - Empowering the People, Nurturing the Poor”.
2.16 p.m. - Minister says that anti-dumping regulations will be implemented.
2.10 p.m. - The government believes in growth led by private enterprise, the genuine entrepreneur who uses his ingenuity, the finance minister said.
2.09 p.m. - What we inherited 2015 from the previous government was like a “ticking time bomb,” Minister Mangala Samaraweera says referring to the economy.
2.07 p.m. - Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera begins delivering the budget speech.
The Minister of Finance Managala Samaraweera presented the Budget proposal for the Year 2019 to the Parliament today (5).
The proceedings are scheduled to commence at 2.00 p.m. when the ‘Budget Proposals’ are announced with the reading of the Budget Speech at the second reading of the Appropriation Bill.
The Finance Ministry says that the Budget 2019 will be themed “Enterprise Sri Lanka - Empowering the People, Nurturing the Poor”.
The ministry said it plans to increase public revenue to 17 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with a deficit to 4.5 percent.
The Budget was initially expected to be presented in November 2018 but was postponed due to the constitutional crisis which occurred in the country on 26 October when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked sitting Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa instead.
A Vote on Account was passed following the reinstatement of Wickremesinghe while the Budget 2019 is expected to cover the last eight months of this year.
adu karanwa kiyalane bn kiwwe 
