Allowance increase for public service pensioners
August 2, 2024 12:39 pm
Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya stated that public service pensioners will receive an additional allowance of Rs. 3,000, raising the total interim allowance to Rs. 5,500, effective from September.
Following instructions from the President, an expert committee led by U. R. Senevirathne was formed to address salary disparities among public servants. Siyambalapitiya stated that, based on their review, the interim allowance will be provided until the revised salary structure is implemented in 2025.
The State Minister noted that the government will incur an additional cost of Rs. 8.4 billion to pay this allowance to the retired community, totaling around 700,000 in the year 2024.
Furthermore, he mentioned that despite the challenges of managing the state budget, steps were taken to provide this interim allowance as a quick short-term solution, considering the current financial difficulties faced by retired government employees.
