Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he will present the interim budget to the parliament on the basis of the future economic plan and road map drawn up for the country.

He said it is hoped the budget will lay the foundation for the national economy, allowing it to stabilize and recover.

The interim budget will reduce unnecessary government spending, while controlling other costs.

“We will also focus on revitalizing many areas affected by the crisis. There is an urgent need to focus on many sectors such as the export economy, tourism and construction,” he tweeted today.

Wickremesinghe went on to share that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed that the budget should focus on the economically weaker segment of society.

Focus areas of the interim budget include: ensuring three meals a day under the food security plan, increasing relief packages from US$ 350 to US$ 550 million for the economically backward, writing off 100 percent of loans for farming families cultivating paddy on lands less than 2 hectares, and providing the available 1,888 apartments built by China to the deserving without any political influence.