Anura Kumara Dissanayake statements at recent rallies covered state jobs, schools, the economy, corruption, roads, irrigation and VAT.
The latest Anura Kumara Dissanayake statements at public rallies outlined the government’s plans for state recruitment, education, irrigation, economic recovery, roads and taxation.
President Dissanayake said he received governing power in a country where “economic activities had stalled and come to a halt.”
He made the remarks while addressing the Polonnaruwa District Farmers’ Summit on September 12.
The Polonnaruwa event formed part of a series of National People’s Power rallies marking two years of the current administration. Contemporary reports confirm that the September 12 farmers’ rally was held at Deepa Uyana in Polonnaruwa.
During the weekend, the President also addressed public rallies in Kahatagasdigiliya and Nochchiyagama.
Here are eight notable points from the President’s speeches at those rallies.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake Statements in Polonnaruwa
1. ‘121,000 for the public service’
President Dissanayake said in Polonnaruwa that the state machinery had weakened because essential public institutions lacked staff.
“There are no teachers in schools. The police force is not sufficient. There is a shortage of Grama Niladhari officers. No recruitment was made to the public service for 5 or 6 years,” he said.
Accordingly, the President said the government would recruit employees based on existing vacancies. He added that the Treasury had sufficient funds to pay their salaries.
“We have now granted approval to newly recruit 121,000 to the public service. Among them are 23,000 teachers. There are 10,000 police officers. There are wildlife assistants and wildlife officers.”
The President said, “The public service must be recruited to maintain these essential services.”
However, he insisted that political recommendation letters should play no role in recruitment.
“But no one should bring letters when it comes to recruitments. It was by doing that that this public service collapsed. We will conduct examinations and carry out these recruitments according to qualifications and build a good public service,” he said.
Separate reporting on the President’s announcements also cited plans for 121,000 state-sector recruits, including about 23,000 teachers.
2. ‘Rs. 35,000 million to build tank bunds and canals’
The President said Rs. 3,500 million had been allocated this year specifically for constructing tank bunds and canals.
He claimed that “never in Lanka’s history has such money been allocated.”
President Dissanayake said there are 16,000 small tanks under the Agrarian Services Department that require renovation.
“On Friday I summoned the Agrarian Services Department, the Irrigation Department, Mahaweli, all of them. I looked separately at how many tank bunds each of those institutions is building. All these institutions are building tank bunds by allocating provisions of 1,035,000. If it is not sufficient, I am ready to provide more provisions,” he said.
The President said “provisions of 1,035,000 will be allocated” for the same purpose next year.
However, speaking later at the Nochchiyagama rally, he said plans were in place to build 450 tanks in the Anuradhapura District this year. He also said Rs. 35,000 million had been allocated this year for tanks, bunds and canals.
“35,000 of those ten lakh each have been allocated this year to build tanks, canals, and bunds,” he said.
3. ‘Schools with fewer than 50 children will be merged’
Another of the major Anura Kumara Dissanayake statements concerned the restructuring of small schools.
The President said schools with fewer than 50 children would be “merged with large schools.”
“We have more than 10,000 schools. About 18% of those schools have fewer than 50 children. There is no meaning in having those schools. We are merging those schools with large schools.
“At least a school should have 400 or 500 children. That is when a literary competition can be held. That is when children of the same age can go on a trip. That is when a sports festival can be held,” he said.
The President also argued that the existing education system was unsuitable for children and parents.
“The current education system is a burden to parents. A torment to children. We will completely change this education system. From reducing the weight of the bag that the child drags along, we will move to the main reforms,” he said.
He said the government would also provide transport where children have to travel longer distances following the proposed changes.
“If the schools are far away, we will provide transport facilities. We are conducting a study. After studying at the regional level, we will take those children to school,” he said.
Kahatagasdigiliya Rally: Government and Corruption
4. ‘We are not holding these meetings because of a threat’
At Kahatagasdigiliya, President Dissanayake rejected suggestions that the rallies were being organised because the government faced a political threat.
“We are not holding these meetings because a threat has come to the government, there is no threat at all to this government,” he said.
Instead, he said the rallies were intended “to give the message that along with the government, the people must also intervene from the other side to build the country.”
“A country can be built only through a massive people’s movement. Therefore, we are building the people’s movement needed to rebuild this country by uniting all these branch unions and organizations. It is as a special occasion of that that this large public rally is being held today in the Kahatagasdigiliya town,” he said.
Recent reporting on the rally series likewise quoted the President rejecting claims that the gatherings reflected concerns over the government’s political stability.
5. ‘I remain as President with my eyes closed’
The President also addressed investigations and prosecutions involving alleged corruption.
He said that when authorities punish corrupt individuals, he remains “with his eyes closed.”
“The corrupt must be punished. There, I remain as President with my eyes closed. I do not see which thief, which corrupt person is being punished. Whether he is a bigwig, the bigwig’s son, or the wife, does not matter to me. For that, the relevant institutions have been made independent and given facilities and power,” he said.
He said the government had prepared “the machinery necessary to punish the fraudulent, the corrupt, and the criminals.”
“The Criminal Investigation Department, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, the Attorney General’s Department, and the judiciary have been strengthened and given facilities. If more is needed, we will make laws and take steps to pass the 22nd Amendment,” he said.
“What happened before was the selection of the corrupt. Today, the society necessary to punish every corrupt person and every criminal without selection has been built and given,” the President added.
At the Polonnaruwa rally, the President similarly said the government had no personal vendetta but intended to pursue accountability for alleged corruption and misuse of public funds.
Economic Plans Outlined at Nochchiyagama
6. ‘A blueprint for economic independence has been prepared’
At Nochchiyagama, President Dissanayake said Sri Lanka had still not achieved economic sovereignty.
He said the government’s objectives included “filling the wealth of the Treasury, achieving the speed of economic growth, limiting imports and increasing exports, developing the rural economy, and taking the wealth we achieve to the villages to achieve an independent economy.”
“We have prepared the blueprint needed for Sri Lanka to achieve economic independence within a few years. The highest amount of money received to the Treasury after thirty years was received as a symbol of this economic sovereignty.
“After 1958, the lowest budget deficit in Lanka was reported in 2025, taking a good step for economic sovereignty,” he said.
The President said he expects “to raise reserves to US$ 8.4 billion by the end of the year.”
“By this December, we will earn the highest reserve amount ever held by the Central Bank in Lanka’s history. That is a symbol of economic sovereignty. We must go further. Can we go to a commercial bank and get a loan, and how do we achieve the economic viability for that? How do we grow the export market? How do we bring industries down to the villages? We have prepared the plans for those,” he said.
The economic claims and targets above represent statements made by the President at the rally rather than independent assessments of the government’s economic performance.
7. ‘A delay in the planned road construction’
The President said the government had allocated funds for rural road construction. However, he said difficulties obtaining the required type of bitumen had caused delays.
“But a small problem has come up. Due to the Middle East war, the type of tar we use comes from that region. Other tar types do not suit our climate. We have faced a problem in importing that tar,” he said.
He described the supply issue as an international problem rather than a domestic one.
“Therefore, there has been some delay in the planned road construction. That is not our problem. That is an international problem.
“But at the last Cabinet meeting, we instructed the Petroleum Corporation to find tar from somewhere and prepare the plan, 7-8 tar ships need to be brought quickly,” the President said.
VAT Relief for School Books Planned
8. ‘Steps will be taken to remove VAT on school books’
The final major policy announcement among the Anura Kumara Dissanayake statements concerned Value Added Tax on school books.
President Dissanayake said the government intends to remove VAT from school books, with the measure expected to feature in the upcoming Budget. The announcement has also been reported separately following his Nochchiyagama speech.
“The tax is there, and the tax will also be removed. Let us see, those must be mentioned in the upcoming budget, aren’t they? We have planned it,” he said.
The President said there are about 400,000 schoolchildren. He also said that, for the first time, more than 200 children receiving Aswesuma were selected and given Rs. 6,000 to purchase school books and equipment.
He further said the government would take steps to provide the assistance again in December this year.
The eight announcements therefore covered a wide range of government priorities, from public-sector recruitment and education reform to irrigation, anti-corruption measures, economic policy, road construction and tax relief. Several remain proposals, targets or commitments outlined by the President, with implementation dependent on the relevant administrative, budgetary and legislative processes.
