Gotabaya announces ‘relief package’ for country’s poor

SLPP presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that a “relief package” will be provided to the poor and needy in the country, as an ‘instant’ relief measure before the economy if uplifted.

Speaking at an election rally in Polonnaruwa today (8), he said that the complete relief package will be presented tomorrow.

He said that they have decided to provide a bag of rations free of charge every month especially to low-income families, families which are receiving ‘Samurdhi’ benefits, those without ‘Samurdhi’ but without an income, those engaged in manual labour for daily wages, the disabled, the elderly and the sick.

In addition to this, he said, that the taxes on water and electricity will be slashed while relief will also be provided to school children and pregnant mothers. 

Rajapaksa said that there are around 54,000 unemployed graduates in the country and that steps will be taken to provide them with employment starting from January 01. 

He also said that an unskilled member of every needy family will be provided with unskilled employment in the state with the aim of ending their lives of poverty.