- Former CB Deputy Governor W A Wijewardena expresses serious concern about potential social unrest arising when implementing IMF proposals, leading to “IMF riots”: notes these reforms burden the poor more than the affluent, making it likely that SL could face similar challenges: previously, Wijewardene was an ardent advocate of SL seeking an IMF programme.
- UNICEF Report states 3.9 mn Sri Lankans are moderately food insecure: over 10,000 households face severe food insecurity: about 2.9 mn children need humanitarian assistance to access life-saving nutrition, health, education, water & sanitation, protection, and social protection services: 62% of households adopt livelihood-based coping strategies such as withdrawing savings, borrowing money, and buying food on credit to access food.
- Former UN Expert on Foreign Debt and Human Rights Juan Pablo says Sri Lanka’s austerity measures could do more harm than good: also says historical evidence shows that such measures fail to lead to higher growth rates, increased employment, or reduced poverty: stresses need to look at other measures during an economic crisis.
- Treasury concedes there has been a “significant shortfall” in revenue performance this year: Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardene instructs Govt institutions to adhere to the stringent expenditure control measures until further notice, as the Govt is still struggling for “various reasons”.
- Life-saving surgeries at the Hambantota General Hospital halted as the only anaesthetist at the hospital has gone abroad without permission from the Health Ministry: Government Medical Officers Assn says that during the year ended 31May’23, 274 specialist doctors & 842 graded medical officers have migrated.
- JVP-led NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake says SL’s sovereignty & national security are in jeopardy as an Indian company will gain access to citizens’ personal data through a project to print digital national identity cards: reveals that arrangements have been made to award the project to the Madras Security Printing Company.
- State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says the proposed Betting & Gaming Levy Bill and the Gambling Regulatory Authority will regulate lotteries, gambling, gaming, horse racing, betting shops and casinos: also says establishing this law cannot be done in a hurry.
- Analysts say SL’s Call-Money interest rate and Treasuries’ yields are now determined by the IMF’s Net International Reserve target for SL, not inflation: warn that Forex pressure will emerge quickly leading to the currency falling, if a “reserve collecting” central bank cuts interest rates based on an inflation index number.
- Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa accuses the Govt of attempting to sell state-owned media channels: asserts such ‘erratic’ decisions must not be made.
- Organic fertilizer production at the Welimada Ulugalawatta Organic Solid Fertilizer Processing Center under the National Food Promotion Board, commences: arrangements said to have been made to export 5000 MT of solid organic fertilizer processed at this center, to a cultivation project currently being built in Dubai, every month: at the same time, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera says the decision to use 100% organic fertilizer in the country has completely destroyed the agricultural sector.
