COLOMBO, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government will implement additional relief measures aimed at easing the financial burden on the public, Deputy Minister of Finance Harshana Suriyapperuma told parliament on Tuesday.

The measures include raising the income tax threshold to 150,000 rupees (about 510 U.S. dollars), exempting value-added tax on dairy products to address the nutrition needs of children, allocating 6,000 rupees (about 20 dollars) per child to help with the purchase of school supplies, and increasing the fertilizer subsidy to support agricultural production, he said.

Suriyapperuma said that the government has already taken several initiatives to mitigate the financial challenges of the people. ■