Manusha Media

Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara expressed his dissatisfaction today (27) with the delay in implementing a low-interest housing loan scheme for migrant workers, despite Cabinet approval.

Minister Nanayakkara conveyed his displeasure during a scholarship awarding ceremony organized by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment. At the event, he presented scholarships to children of migrant workers who demonstrated outstanding academic performance.

The Minister acknowledged the significant contribution of migrant workers to the country’s economy, emphasizing the government’s commitment to supporting and encouraging them through various initiatives. However, he lamented that certain government officials had failed to recognize the importance of migrant workers.

“It is disheartening to observe that some government officials are not cooperating with the implementation of certain government decisions,” he criticized.

Minister Nanayakkara further criticized the delayed implementation of the government’s special loan scheme for migrant workers, despite Cabinet approval. He highlighted that more than a year had passed since the proposal for the housing loan scheme and discussions with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and Commercial Banks had taken place. However, the Treasury, CBSL, and other banks had yet to implement the loan scheme.

“Despite proposing the housing loan scheme over a year ago and engaging in discussions with CBSL and Commercial Banks, the Treasury, CBSL, and other banks have failed to implement the loan scheme for migrant workers. While they are eager to receive remittances from these migrants, they show no interest in providing them with a low-interest loan scheme,” he criticized.

The Minister also pointed out the unrealistic attitude of certain government officials who claim that the country does not face any foreign exchange shortage.

“They assert that Sri Lanka now has sufficient dollars. However, as the government, we need more dollars, and we cannot afford to make such claims. We have debt obligations to repay, and import restrictions for certain items remain in place,” he emphasized.

Minister Nanayakkara also expressed his disappointment over the Sri Lanka Customs’ failure to implement the government’s decision to increase duty relief for migrant workers at the airport.
Despite Cabinet approval over a year ago, the Sri Lanka Customs has yet to implement the increase in duty relief for migrant workers,” he stated.