COLOMBO, Nov 18 (NNN-SLNEWS) – Sri Lankan Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mahinda Rajapaksa, yesterday presented the government’s maiden budget proposals for 2021, which aims to strengthen development and expand domestic economic opportunities.
Reading his budget proposal in Parliament, the Prime Minister said, the government aimed to create a strong nation by exploiting development opportunities that arose as a central hub, in the new economic order of the world, to both the conventional western advanced economies and the powerful emerging eastern economies.
“We must develop the Hambantota and Colombo Ports, together with the airports, to be a centre in international commercial processes, expanding domestic economic opportunities, within a broad national vision,” Rajapaksa said.
He said, the primary objective of the government’s social development programme was to expand health services, to effectively safeguard people from the pandemic, as well as, from non-communicable diseases which currently have a high incidence.
Rajapaksa further said, through the budget, the government would aim to increase its exports, such as tea, apparel, rubber products, gems, cinnamon, pepper, and electrical appliances, to markets such as India, China and Japan.
He further said, steps were expeditiously underway to develop the Colombo Port City Special Economic Zone, as an attractive business hub. The preliminary work related to the construction of the first financial and commercial centre has already been initiated.
Tourism, foreign and commercial activities of the first phase of the Colombo Port City is scheduled to commence in 2021, Rajapaksa said.– NNN-SLNEWS
