During a public rally organized by the National People’s Power (NPP), led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in the Galle District on April 7, 2025, Deputy Minister Nalin Hewage made a controversial statement about the country’s financial reserves. He claimed: “When we came to power, there was less than 20 million US dollars in the treasury. But now there is 6,190 million US dollars.”

Link : https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FPMJWMsJV/

However, this statement has been widely challenged, including in Parliament.

Opposition MP D.V. Chanaka, speaking in Parliament on April 8, 2025, said the figures provided by Deputy Minister Nalin Hewage were completely inaccurate. He also referenced the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s Economic Review Report for 2024, which contains verified data on the country’s reserves.

link :https://www.youtube.com/live/dWE_rIS8mN4?si=OlL1fZPo8sxCqZmb&t=16947

FactSeeker investigated the claim by referring to the Central Bank’s report. According to the report, Sri Lanka’s total official reserves in September 2024—the month when the NPP government came to power—stood at approximately 6 billion US dollars (6,000 million USD). This contradicts the Deputy Minister’s claim that the reserves were less than 20 million USD at that time.

In fact, the 2024 Economic Review and other official data provide a comprehensive overview of the country’s reserves from previous years to the present, offering clear insight into how the reserves have changed over time.

Additionally, a video statement by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was in office before the 2024 election, includes remarks about the country’s reserves—further confirming that they were never as low as claimed by Deputy Minister Hewage.

Link : https://youtu.be/BSWcMy2nFq0?si=XpcQp_OdQlJiRdj8

Minister Nalinda Jayatissa also addressed the issue during a media briefing held at the Department of Government Information. Citing the same Central Bank report, he clarified that the reserves were 5.8 billion USD when the current government took office, and have since increased to 6.51 billion USD.

Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT4RaxkgE3Q

Conclusion :
Based on official records and statements from both current and former government officials, FactSeeker confirms that Deputy Minister Nalin Hewage’s statement is false. When the National People’s Power government came to power, Sri Lanka’s reserves were around 5.8 to 6 billion USD—not less than 20 million USD, as falsely claimed.