A massive supplementary estimate is set to reshape Sri Lanka’s fiscal calendar, with urgent cyclone relief needs forcing Parliament to approve unprecedented emergency spending and push key development plans into 2027.
The government is preparing to present a supplementary estimate of Rs. 1,000 billion at an emergency sitting of Parliament scheduled for Thursday, December 18, aimed at securing immediate funds to support people affected by the recent cyclone and to stabilise post disaster recovery efforts.
Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne has convened this special parliamentary session under the Standing Orders of Parliament, following a formal request made by Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya. The relevant gazette notification calling the House into session was issued yesterday, confirming the urgency attached to the funding request.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had informed Parliament on December 5 that the government initially intended to seek approval for an additional estimate of Rs. 500 billion. However, government sources now confirm that the figure has doubled after revised assessments of welfare payments, emergency infrastructure repairs, and expanded relief needs were finalised.
The supplementary estimate will be debated in Parliament on December 18, with the vote scheduled for the following day, December 19. Once the vote is concluded, Parliament is expected to adjourn until January 6, 2026, marking a pause after one of the most significant emergency funding debates in recent years.
According to informed sources, the supplementary estimate will apply to the 2026 and 2027 budget cycle, with several major infrastructure projects likely to be extended into 2027 as a result of the fiscal adjustments. This shift reflects the scale of the disaster response now required and the strain placed on planned development timelines.
Immediate funding priorities include the distribution of dry rations to affected families, the payment of housing allowances, land surveys for the resettlement of displaced persons, and the implementation of broader relief and rehabilitation programs. These measures are seen as critical to restoring livelihoods and ensuring basic stability in cyclone hit areas.
The emergency estimate highlights the growing financial pressures on the state as climate related disasters increasingly disrupt budget planning, forcing the government to balance long term development goals with urgent humanitarian and recovery needs.
