Opposition leader slams Govt over ‘false’ poverty data

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the government of using outdated data on poverty and living standards in a newly released socio-economic report, and called for a revised report to be published before the 2027 budget.

In a statement on Tuesday, Premadasa said the report, jointly compiled by the Central Bank and the Department of Census and Statistics, used data from 2016 to 2019 in its sections on household income, expenditure, poverty, housing and living conditions.

He said other sections relied on more recent figures from 2023 to 2025, and questioned why updated data had not been used to assess poverty and hardship.

Premadasa also challenged the report’s stated figure that a person could meet their needs for 30 days with Rs. 17,315. He said the country had not conducted an updated household income and expenditure survey since its economic collapse, and questioned whether the government would use the report’s poverty figures to prepare the budget due on Nov. 12.

Citing what he described as World Bank data, Premadasa said the poverty line was $8.30, or about Rs. 2,724, per person per day, and claimed the poverty rate was 65.4%. He also said 33% of households faced acute food insecurity. These figures were presented in his statement.

He called on the government, the Central Bank and the Department of Census and Statistics to explain the use of older figures and publish an updated report before the budget. Premadasa said he was prepared to debate the issue publicly. (Newswire)

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