The Finance Ministry yesterday announced that the salary increment and other allowances for public servants and government pensioners proposed by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera in his Budget 2019 is effective from today (July 01). All public servants, including Tri-Services personnel and, government pensioners will benefit by the salary and pension increases. “Despite the economic woes, the Government has made an additional allocation of Rs.40 billion for this purpose,” a Ministry communique said.
Accordingly, all public servants will receive an additional monthly allowance of Rs. 2,500, while income anomalies of some 500,000 pensioners will be removed from this month. The pension of the public servants who retired before December 31, 2015 will be increased by a minimum sum of Rs.2,800 and a maximum sum of Rs.20,000.
“Under the public servants’ salary increment, 1.1 million public servants are entitled to receive an interim allowance of Rs.2,500 effective from today. The Government spends Rs.20 billion to pay this allowance. The cost of living allowance of Rs.7,800 currently being paid to the public servants and the cost of living allowance of Rs.3,250 being paid to the pensioners will be continued. The Government has allocated Rs.12 billion to settle the salary anomalies of pensioners,” the Finance Ministry said in a release yesterday.
The allowances for Security Forces including Commando Allowance, Uniform Allowance, Rent Allowance, Good Conduct Allowance of the Armed Forces, some of which had not been increased for over 20 years, will be increased from today.
“The Government took measures to increase the monthly quota for the tri forces officers and members of other ranks effective last January. Accordingly, approval was given recently to increase the monthly ration quota for the officers up to Rs.23, 231 and for the members of the other ranks up to Rs.19, 350. In addition, the house rent being paid for the tri forces members will be doubled effective from today. Simultaneously, the commando allowance for the members in parallel ranks of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Airforce will be increased up to Rs.5, 000 from Rs.1, 000 effective from today. The Government spends Rs.1,175 million for this purpose,” the communique added.
The proposal to increase the monthly allowance for the differently abled to Rs.5, 000 from Rs.3, 000 will also be implemented from today. A total number of 72,000 differently abled persons, including the 32,000 differently abled persons who are already entitled to receive this allowance together with another 40,000 on the waiting list, will be paid this monthly allowance from today. The Government has allocated Rs.4,350 million for this purpose,” the statement explained.
“The Government has already been paying a monthly allowance of Rs.5, 000 each to 21,000 chronically ill kidney patients. A large number of similar patients are on the waiting list to receive this monthly allowance. Therefore, another 5,000 patients will receive this allowance effective today. The Government has allocated Rs.1, 840 for this purpose. Accordingly, the Government will spend Rs.39, 365million to pay all these salaries and allowances,” the Finance Ministry said.
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