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It is a major issue. It is the duty of those who govern the country to strengthen the living standards of the citizens.

The government and the people must do whatever possible to ease the burden of the cost of living. For most consumer items, about 35 percent of the cost goes for advertising and marketing.

Living on debt has become a dangerous way of life. It takes one to three months for the money to come into the hands of the manufacturer from the trader. Because of this without anyone’s knowledge an interest is levied on the consumer. Even if the trader gets his money the same day and the consumer buys the item paying cash, because of the ‘Middlemen’ the consumer has to pay 15% or 20% as interest for the items.  Because of advertising and the transactions that take place in between, the consumer has to pay almost double the value of the items purchased. In addition to this, the cost incurred on unnecessary packing adds more to the price. The government or the traders who know about this are unable to control the situation. The cost of living affects most of the people. Most employers are unaware of the plight of their employees. Even if they are aware they are helpless to do much about it.

In the past it was the practice among underdeveloped countries to fix the prices of goods through the budget. Though people protested over this as taxes were added to the prices, they were helpless. Though many institutions and other interested parties tried to alleviate this even getting help from foreign lands, they themselves have become business minded. Illegal and unwanted enterprises operate freely. These days we see beggars almost everywhere. Why it is that social organizations, rehabilitation units and relevant departments are not looking into this situation?

Being in debt from birth, in our day to day life, and for education, has become a part of our culture. When the germ for this situation came about the government and others involved did not take corrective measures. Now the situation appears to have gone beyond control. The patient is in a critical condition.

The Vishala city of old was ravaged with the three fears of famine, sickness and evil. When all these were threatening its existence, it was the Lord Buddha who with the Maha Sangha walked the streets and blessed it to save it from destruction. It then became plentiful.

To be rid of the menace of mosquitoes and wild beasts and be blessed with adequate water and fresh air, people of all faiths and ideologies could join hands with the Maha sangha for three months at least in unity. Let all of them dedicate themselves for this during these three months. Our media can publicize this.

Though we talk about development and expressways, the media should spotlight the state of our by-roads, bridges and other conditions in the villages for the authorities to see the real situation. We should draw up a minimum food requirement list applicable to both rich and poor and take steps to have them made available at a controlled price. Though the Budget was presented and the second reading was passed, there is provision for amendments to be made. I had proposed that a comprehensive economic plan be drawn up so the people are not inconvenienced. If we can reduce our debt burden, cut down on our publicity and packaging costs, the cost of living could be reduced. If 8 to 10 hours of work a day could be made compulsory that also would help to increase productivity, bring down the cost of living and make the country self-sufficient.

Those who chew betel or smokes cigarettes or are used to some other habit will not give it up even though the prices go up. They will continue with the habit and their living standard will suffer. The evil effects will be on themselves and their families.

In most families, both parents go to work and often there is no one to take care of the little children. So daycare centres thrive. We do things that should not be done. We should stop this and adopt a more wholesome lifestyle.

There will be no success unless we all get involved in some form of cultivation. Instead of allowing our fields to go fallow, we must grow more nutritious and better varieties of rice. It is a difficult journey today. There is much sickness and stress.

When the new government came to office, it gave a Rs. 10,000 salary increase to the public servant. There were many problems in its implementation. There were problems with regard to adding this to the basic salary and also about the EPF.

In those days, most homes had a bag to carry foodstuffs. Today manufacturers spend more on packaging and recover the expense from the consumers. If manufacturers produced goods according to a standard and reduced expenses on packaging this can be rectified. Each household will be able to save thousands every month.

To protect the environment polythene should be cut down. We can stop wastage and our protect health. The Lord Buddha preached as to how we could live without debt. To be in debt takes away our peace of mind. The government must do something more to rectify this. In most countries, the interest rate remains unchanged for a long period. But here the rate goes higher day by day. Even when there are banks, some people borrow from individuals and pay high interest rates.

If we import an egg from India it will be Rs. 5. What is the price of a local egg? It ranges from Rs. 17 to 30. When tinned fish is given at a lower rate how can people profit by the fresh fish that is available? To promote quality tourism, we need natural food, with less fat. But they are far from our grasp. It is a good idea to give Samurdhi people free rice. Now poor quality rice is grown here. This may have been the reason to give free rice as the local rice tends to go bad soon. Who will take corrective measures with regard to poor quality rice? Earlier we believe that the farmer is worthy of being a king if the mud is washed off his body. Today not many people take to farming and most are hired labourers.  Rice therefore has gone up in price. If we do not take steps to correct our  path and repair the damage to the agricultural sector, we are doomed.

In the United States, the number of mentally unbalanced people is on the increase. It seems to be the same here. Let all beings take these matters to heart and live in peace and happiness. This is our wish and we hope that these suggestions will be put to good use.