Tracking delivery on manifesto promises

Implement an electronic bidding system in the construction sector by 2025.

Why this status: The 2025 deadline was missed. The 2026 Budget still describes creation of an e-procurement system as a reform being implemented, rather than a completed electronic bidding system. A 2026 Government procurement notice expressly states that electronic procurement is not permitted for that tender. This does not rule out isolated electronic submissions, but it is strong evidence that the promised construction-sector electronic bidding system was not implemented by 2025.

Implement a collateral-free loan scheme of up to Rs. 10 million for micro, small, and medium-scale entrepreneurs.

Why this status: Government-backed collateral-free MSME credit is operating through the National Credit Guarantee Institution, with more than Rs. 4.027 billion granted by 2025. However, the public evidence does not verify the promised scheme’s specific availability of loans up to Rs. 10 million per entrepreneur.

Establish tissue culture and genetic engineering centres and laboratories to develop marketable products such as herbal medicines, nutraceuticals, food supplements, and cosmeceuticals.

Why this status: The policy directly commits to tissue-culture and genetic-engineering centres and laboratories for marketable herbal, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical products. No nationwide completion evidence is shown.

Build partnerships with global ICT companies and research institutions.

Why this status: Government agencies have actively built international ICT collaboration through a Japan–Sri Lanka business-matching event involving companies and institutions from both countries, and domestic research-export partnerships. This is relevant delivery, but it does not establish a comprehensive long-term partnership framework with global ICT companies and research institutions.

Increase income from ornamental fish and aquatic plant exports by 25% by 2028.

Why this status: NAQDA is expanding ornamental-fish and aquatic-plant capacity through breeding centres, producer support and training. Export earnings were reported for the first seven months of 2025, but no official baseline-and-result calculation shows a 25% increase by 2028, so the target is not yet treated as delivered.

Expand the ICT workforce to 200,000 professionals by 2030 through training and educational programs.

Why this status: The government’s digital learning platform explicitly frames a national goal of 200,000 professionals by 2030 and reports active training delivery. This is a credible implementation route, but the public record does not establish the current size of the ICT workforce or show the 2030 target has been achieved.

Provide the necessary infrastructure facilities to ensure the quality of imported goods through certification and quality inspection.

Why this status: An official government policy or Cabinet decision directly addresses this commitment. It is evidence of a formal implementation direction, but not proof of nationwide completion, so it remains in the works.

Establish a crew member-changing centre for ships navigating across Sri Lanka.

Why this status: An official government policy or Cabinet decision directly addresses this commitment. It is evidence of a formal implementation direction, but not proof of nationwide completion, so it remains in the works.

Establish an international trading hub that facilitates to reduce transaction costs and to increase operational efficiency for merchants to trade goods including crude oil, fuel, gas, mineral products, and spices.

Why this status: An official government policy or Cabinet decision directly addresses this commitment. It is evidence of a formal implementation direction, but not proof of nationwide completion, so it remains in the works.

Develop port facilities to serve as an efficient regional logistic management hub with all facilities to provide services of transshipment, transloading, ship-to-ship cargo transfer, and cross-docking.

Why this status: An official government policy or Cabinet decision directly addresses this commitment. It is evidence of a formal implementation direction, but not proof of nationwide completion, so it remains in the works.

Implement a mechanism to resolve, by investigating, trade-related issues faced by micro, small and medium-scale business communities.

Why this status: The government’s official national policy repeats this economic or tax commitment as a key activity. This is a formal implementation direction, but no nationwide completion evidence is shown, so the promise remains in the works.

Establish, enhance and modernize marketplaces for potential products including gems, jewelry, precious stones, textiles, and handicrafts targeting foreign buyers.

Why this status: The government’s official national policy repeats this economic or tax commitment as a key activity. This is a formal implementation direction, but no nationwide completion evidence is shown, so the promise remains in the works.

Implement a coordinated service management mechanism to provide auxiliary services such as finance, banking, transportation, insurance, communications, packaging, and warehousing for the smooth functioning of trade and distribution.

Why this status: The government’s official national policy repeats this economic or tax commitment as a key activity. This is a formal implementation direction, but no nationwide completion evidence is shown, so the promise remains in the works.

Establish large-scale economic and exchange centres at the district level.

Why this status: The government’s official national policy repeats this economic or tax commitment as a key activity. This is a formal implementation direction, but no nationwide completion evidence is shown, so the promise remains in the works.

Establish a single window to facilitate business registration, issuance of licenses, certifications, granting of permission for land use, and provision of electricity, water, communication services and other facilities through an integrated system.

Why this status: The 2026 Budget says the government will implement a digital single-window mechanism for Board of Investment project approvals. This is a concrete step toward integrated investor services, but it does not yet verify the full promised system across company registration, licenses, land, electricity, water and communications.

Establish a single empowered institution by integrating existing state institutions including the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka that coordinate and promote investments.

Why this status: The government’s official national policy repeats this economic or tax commitment as a key activity. This is a formal implementation direction, but no nationwide completion evidence is shown, so the promise remains in the works.

Introduce new financing schemes to formally invest bank money and savings in production economic activities.

Why this status: Cabinet approved a consolidated MSME credit framework combining investment, green-finance and inclusive-finance loan schemes, plus a disaster-relief facility. These are new formal financing channels for production and business revival, but they do not prove that bank savings have been comprehensively redirected across the wider economy.

Establish a new national development bank to provide long-term financing, start new businesses, and expand existing businesses for entrepreneurs.

Why this status: An official government policy or Cabinet decision directly addresses this commitment. It is evidence of a formal implementation direction, but not proof of nationwide completion, so it remains in the works.

Establish a new ‘relief bank’ to restore the economic activities of MSMEs and provide relief for outstanding loans.

Why this status: The Central Bank and Finance Ministry have implemented SME debt-relief and recovery loan measures, including concessional lending and a new umbrella MSME framework. However, no new dedicated relief bank has been established, so the pledge is only partly met through alternative mechanisms.

Simplify the complex tariff structure to increase customs revenue on a fair basis.

Why this status: The tariff structure has been materially simplified: the 2026 Budget moved the Customs Import Duty bands from 0%, 15% and 20% to 0%, 10%, 20% and 30%, while the 2026 Customs guide records applicable national levies from 1 April 2026. This meets the structural-change part of the pledge. The available official evidence does not yet show that the reform has increased customs revenue or demonstrably achieved the promised fairness outcome, so it is not rated fully kept.

Establish a single window service by integrating other state institutions with Sri Lanka Customs to streamline import/export operations.

Why this status: The Trade National Single Window programme is active and is being expanded, but it is not yet the fully integrated service promised. The Ministry of Finance maintains a dedicated TNSW project, while the live portal reports three regulatory-agency systems online and states that the remaining agencies are intended to be brought online. The 2026 Budget also allocates Rs. 2.5 billion to improve the Trade National Single Window. This is substantive implementation, not a completed integration of all import/export institutions.

Provide financial support for the production and promotion of creative work by young creators.

Why this status: The government’s official national policy repeats this commitment as a youth or environmental key activity. That is a formal implementation direction, but no nationwide completion evidence is shown, so the promise remains in the works.