The NPP government was planning to increase the allowance for differently abled individuals from the current Rs 7,500 to Rs 10,000, said Sugath Wasantha de Silva, Sri Lanka’s first visually impaired MP, in his maiden parliamentary speech yesterday.
“This increase will be implemented from the 2025 Budget. I must emphasise that this is not intended to foster dependence on the state. We will also take steps to ensure the differently abled community is socially empowered and actively participates in the country’s workforce. This is a responsibility that the NPP is committed to fulfilling,” he said.
MP de Silva highlighted that while Sri Lanka ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 8 February 2016, successive governments have failed to introduce the necessary legislation to give it practical effect.
He further stated that the government intends to lower taxes on equipment designed to improve the lives of differently abled individuals within the next five years.
