• Increments to be phased in over 20 months, based on projected 2027 basic salaries
• Teacher salaries to rise to Rs. 63,000, doctor salaries to Rs. 93,000 by 2027

Sri Lanka expects to spend Rs. 330 billion for hiking the state sector salaries in the next 20 months as allowances and other payments will be determined based on the basic salary expected in January 2027, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said.

In a special interview with TV Derana on Sunday (4), Dissanayake said that the government has forecasted the gross domestic product (GDP) to increase over Rs. 30 trillion by the end of the year.

Therefore, he said based on that projection it was calculated that Rs. 110 billion could be allocated from the government revenue to fund salary increments of the state sector annually.

“This is something better than we expected earlier. By 2027, we expect to bear Rs. 330 billion for salary increments,” he added.

Dissanayake said that the state sector salary will be increased in stages over the next 20 months, where the salary increment will be completed by 1 January 2027.

He explained a teacher who took a monthly salary of Rs. 38,000, will have their salary increased to Rs. 63,000 by January 2027.

Moreover, he explained the starting salary of a doctor at Rs. 54,000, will be increased to Rs. 93,000 while the salary of a junior lecturer will be increased from Rs. 54,000 to Rs. 96,000.

Further, he said other allowances and overtime payments will be adjusted to pay now itself, taking into consideration basic salary that will be expected by January 2027.

Also, he added that employees retiring before January 2027 will receive a pension compared to the basic salary at January 2027.

Dissanayake said that the pensioners, who retired before January 2020, will have their pension adjusted to the salary expected in January 2020.