The Election Commission (EC) has ordered state authorities to refrain from implementing President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s instruction to increase fertiliser subsidy to Rs 25,000 per hectare to paddy farmers with effect from Oct 1 in view of the Nov 14 parliamentary election.
President Dissanayake on September 26 instructed the Treasury to provide an allowance of Rs 25,000 per hectare to paddy farmers during the main (Maha) cultivation season of 2024/25.
As per that directive the fertiliser subsidy was to be increased from 15,000 rupees per hectare and the money was to be directly transferred to farmers’ bank accounts to ensure efficient delivery of the subsidy.
The President also directed the Treasury to implement a fuel subsidy for the fishing community, effective from Oct., 01.
However, the Election Commission has written to the relevant ministries and asked them to stop these subsidies because now we are in an election campaign cycle.
