Government’s plans to provide a food relief package for selected low income group families during the new year season has been stopped by the Election Commission in view of the upcoming Local polls.
The directive from the Election Commission has gone out to the Secretary to the President and the Secretary to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development.
They have been adviced to suspend the distribution of the food package until the elections are concluded on May 6.
The Government had announced that a relief package valued at Rs. 5,000 will be provided at Rs. 2,500 for low income group families. They were expected to be selected from 812,000 families who have recently applied for ‘Aswesuma’ benefits..
The government was distributed the packages through the Lanka Sathosa and Co-operative outlets until April 13, coinciding with the upcoming new year celebrations.
But, Opposition political parties claimed that the government had introduced the programme to attract votes at the upcoming Local Government elections.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today that unilateral action by the UK and other countries in imposing sanctions on certain individuals do not assist but serve to complicate the national reconciliation process underway in Sri Lanka.
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