Presenting the Budget for 2017, Minister of finance Ravi Karunanayake said that the government plans to achieve an economic growth rate of over 7%.

The Minister of  Finance commenced the budget speech after arriving in Parliament at 2 p.m. on Thursday, November 10.

The Finance Minister noted that from the beginning of 2017 they will pay special attention to programmes on poverty alleviation and that the government is prepared to set in motion the programme to achieve an annual growth rate of over 7 percent,  highlighting the strategic importance of Sri Lanka as a hub in the realm of global logistics and commercial operations pursuing, among others, economic integration agreements with regional governments such as China, India and Singapore.

He also added that development corridors will be set up for investment in public and private sectors with the role of the private sector being duly recognised to offer additional exposure and opportunities for entrepreneurs and professionals with the focus on digital economy, tourism, commercial agriculture, as well as accelerating the process of industrialisation.

” Public Private Partnerships replacing government dominance in economic development programmes, will also be pursued positively. Reforms will ensure a better future for the children of the country and particularly, for the educated younger generation”,  said the Finance Minister.

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