The Cabinet has approved the President's proposal to disburse Rs. 5,000 from January, constituting half of the planned Rs. 10,000 cost of living allowance. This allowance, originally set to commence from April, is part of the 2024 budget for government employees.
During the budget presentation on November 13, President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced a significant increase in the Cost-of-Living Allowance for government employees. The current allowance of Rs. 7,800 will be raised to Rs. 17,800, an increment of Rs. 10,000 starting from January 2024.
The President specified that this increased allowance will be incorporated into the monthly salary beginning April. Additionally, measures will be implemented to disburse the accumulated balance from January to March 2024 in installments over a 6-month period, starting in October 2024.
Despite this announcement, a cabinet proposal has been put forward to initiate the allowance with a payment of Rs. 5,000 from January.
