The budget has proposals for the socio-economic uplift of the war-affected Northern and Eastern provinces which the Tamil Progressive Front (TPF) appreciates, but nothing much to ease the economic burdens of the plantation community has been offered under the budget, although fund allocations are to be made for the construction of 25,000 housing units, said V. Radhakrishnan, State Minister of Education and leader of the Up-country People Front (PF), a constituent of the TPF, told the Sunday Observer.
The reduction of the price of potatoes and big onions, through the
reduction of the Special Commodity Tax, will affect the hill country farmers who are engaged in potatoes cultivation and the farmers of Dambulla engaged in big onion cultivation, he said. The government should think of providing them some relief, he said.