The Election Commission has temporarily suspended the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) government’s program to provide subsidized food packages for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, citing concerns over its timing ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
The Commission directed the Secretary to the President and the Secretary to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development to postpone the distribution of these packages until after the elections.
The program, proposed in the recent budget, aimed to offer essential food items worth Rs. 5,000 at a subsidized rate of Rs. 2,500 to eligible low-income families.
The relief was set to benefit individuals from a pool of 812,753 new applicants who had recently registered for support under the ‘Aswesuma’ program.
Approved by the Cabinet, the initiative was scheduled for distribution through Lanka Sathosa and Co-op outlets nationwide from April 1 to April 13, coinciding with the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations.
The Commission’s decision to suspend the program comes amid concerns that it could unfairly influence voters ahead of the upcoming local government election.
Leave a comment