- President Ranil Wickremesinghe announces plans to abolish the line room system and provide plantation workers with free land rights, aiming to modernise their living conditions: highlights reforms during his presidency, emphasises the risks of rival candidates’ economic proposals, and outlines a strategy for an export-driven economy to boost foreign reserves.
- Sajith Premadasa, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya presidential candidate, pledges impartial judicial appointments, prioritising the rule of law over personal influence: also outlines a comprehensive asset recovery plan to retrieve stolen assets for public benefit: assures that fairness and integrity would guide his decisions if elected.
- NPP presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake responds to President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s allegation of him making ‘racially provocative’ comments at a rally in Jaffna, stating that it is Wickremesinghe who should apologise to the northern people for allegedly inciting racism: criticises Wickremesinghe for attempting to stir racial tensions in the election and thanks TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran for addressing the issue: asserts that the era of divisive, racially charged politics in Sri Lanka is over.
- Former SJB MP Thalatha Athukorala, who recently resigned from Parliament, pledges her support to President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming Presidential Election: also attends a rally for the President in Welimada: Athukorala, elected in 2020 with 45,105 votes from the Ratnapura District, has been a parliamentarian since 2004, consistently winning re-election.
- Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake emphasises door-to-door canvassing for presidential candidates is limited to five individuals distributing leaflets: highlights restrictions on political marches during campaigns and clarifies that only candidates’ vehicles may display campaign stickers: Violations of these rules, including unauthorised vehicle displays, are against election laws.
- Commissioner General of Examinations Amith Jayasundara requests presidential candidates and supporters to avoid using loudspeakers or holding rallies near examination centres on 15 September, from 9.30 am to 12.15 pm, during the Year 5 Scholarship Examination: The Police Department has been notified, with 323,879 candidates expected to sit the exam at 2,849 centres across Sri Lanka.
- Sri Lanka earns over $2 billion from tourism in the first eight months of 2024, a 66.1% increase from 2023, with 1.36 million tourists arriving, up by 50.7%: In August alone, arrivals rose by 20% compared to the previous year: Tourism remains a key revenue source, with 3 million visitors expected in 2025.
- Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera announces the government will provide farmers a 50kg bag of urea fertiliser at Rs. 4,000 for the 2024 Maha season, down from Rs. 42,000 in 2022: details plans to increase fertiliser subsidies and secure 55,000 metric tons of MOP fertiliser through the World Food Program for future seasons.
- Sri Lanka’s worker remittances increase by 15.7% in August 2024, reaching $577.5 million, enabling the Central Bank to repay $450 million to the Reserve Bank of India: By the end of August, remittances totalled $4.28 billion, up from $3.86 billion in 2023: Remittances, a key foreign exchange source, have risen since abandoning the parallel exchange rate regime in 2022.
- Sri Lanka Customs achieves record revenue of Rs. 1 trillion in the first eight months of 2024, surpassing previous records: This success is attributed to the department’s operational independence and reforms: Director General Sarath Nonis is confident of meeting the IMF’s annual target of Rs. 1.534 trillion, despite a decline in car import revenue due to restrictions.
