Ajith P. Perera calls for measures to encourage higher birth rates

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Ajith P. Perera has called for measures to encourage higher birth rates in Sri Lanka, warning that the country’s declining birth rate could lead to a shortage of young people needed to sustain its future workforce. Speaking in Parliament, Perera urged the government today to expand maternity, paternity, and parental leave benefits as part of a broader push to encourage families to have more children. He stressed that both mothers and fathers should be granted adequate leave, and that families must be supported to face the challenges that arise when a child is born. Perera warned that Sri Lanka’s declining birth rate poses a serious threat to the country’s future, noting that schools and universities are already struggling with lower student enrolments. He cited rising marriage ages, falling marriage rates, increasing divorces, the high cost of living, economic uncertainty, social perceptions about the expense of raising children, the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic, and youth migration as key factors behind the drop in births. “This is a very serious problem,” he said, adding that without sufficient young people, the nation will lack the workforce needed to sustain daily life in the years ahead. Among the measures he proposed were: • Tax concessions or reductions in income tax for families with children. • Financial assistance and benefits at childbirth for qualified families. • Housing support, including concessionary loan facilities with reduced interest rates for larger families. • Government programs to cut the cost of child care and early childhood development services. Perera emphasized that countries facing similar demographic challenges have adopted such policies, and Sri Lanka must follow suit. “Having more children should be valued, promoted, rewarded, and made into something to be appreciated,” he declared. (Newswire)