National People’s Power (NPP) presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake has laid out bold economic plans, including generating $5 billion from the information technology sector and creating 500,000 software engineering jobs.
Speaking at a public rally in Ruwanwella, Dissanayake stressed the importance of building the economy, acknowledging that significant growth will take time. However, he outlined his strategy for an immediate boost in tourism, aiming to attract 4 million tourists to create an $8 billion economy.
Regarding the IT industry, he stated, “The current export economy is valued at $1.2 billion, but my goal is to raise it to $5 billion, creating 200,000 software engineering jobs in Sri Lanka.”
Dissanayake also addressed challenges in the fishing industry, noting that 50% of multi-day fishing boats are stranded due to poor planning, resulting in financial losses of Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 1 million per boat. He called for subsidies and strategic plans to maximize the use of maritime resources.
Promising support for local farmers, Dissanayake declared, “If our farmers can produce the onions we need, we will stop importing them. The only rice we will import is for the tourism industry; not a single additional grain of rice will be brought in from abroad.”
