Over nine million people, or more than 40 percent of Sri Lanka’s 21.6 milion population, have slipped into the official poverty line due to the country’s unending economic crisis, a recent report released by a reputed UN international organisation has found.
The steepest rise in poverty levels took place after January this year, the report revealed adding that this was a very serious situation in the country,”as poorer households were the hardest hit owing to food inflation, job losses, limited fertilizer supply and drop in remittances.
According to another survey conducted by Peradeniya University, the latest changes in the tax structure – increased direct and indirect taxes – have only exacerbated the situation, affecting innumerable middle-income families and sparking murmurs of more mass discontent in Sri Lanka.
Four in every 10 households in Sri Lanka experienced a reduction in their incomes from June to December 2022, and one in every two households are currently relying on negative coping mechanisms to cope with the lack of food or money to buy it, a Food and Agriculture Organisation (FOA) report said.
In its response overview for the period of June to December 2022, the United Nations agency said the window of opportunity to support Sri Lankan farmers and their communities is narrowly time-bound.
“Immediate action to provide farmers with quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides will enable them to protect their livelihoods and feed their communities. It is also critical to provide the most vulnerable farmers, livestock keepers and fishers with cash assistance to enable them to restore their productive assets and fast-track their recovery,” the report said.
Noting Sri Lanka is witnessing an unprecedented currency crisis, and the situation is exacerbated by political and social turmoil, the FAO report said nearly 40 percent of the population of Sri Lanka depend on agriculture as a primary source of income.
The ongoing multidimensional crisis is posing an enormous threat to their livelihoods and disrupting the national food system, it said.
Agricultural production is in a downward trend since mid-2021 due to the unavailability of fertilizers and other essential production inputs; livestock keepers are unable to access feed and basic veterinary supplies; and fishers are unable to access fuel for motorized boats.
“Consequently, the supply of food in local markets is shrinking and food inflation is soaring, reaching 90 percent in July 2022,” the report added.
Sri Lanka’s collapsing currency has pushed up the price of foods by close to 100 percent over two years with salaries not keeping pace, making it difficult for the less affluent in particular to afford basic carbohydrates and more affluent people being deprived of access to protein.
In Sri Lanka it typically takes about two years to recover from a currency crisis and real salaries to recover somewhat, analysts say.
Sri Lanka has not fully emerged from the currency crises with money still being printed in smaller volumes and a surrender requirement in place, which also creates money and alters rupee reserves of individual banks helping maintain forex shortages.
The forex shortages as well as central bank trade restrictions make it difficult to import some foods and agricultural inputs.
FAO says 40 percent of SL’s house holds income drop from Jun to Dec
CHEC strikes deal with Saudi giant Ajlan as Strategic Partner of Port City, Colombo
Saudi Arabia’s Ajlan and Brothers Holdings has recently inked into a strategic cooperation agreement with CHEC in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, forming a strategic partnership to jointly develop Port City, Colombo and several key pilot developments worth over $ 1.3 billion.
As per a joint announcement released yesterday, the initiatives include the Colombo International Financial Centre (CIFC) Phase 1, Marina Waterfront Commercial and Marina Hotel, Super Luxury Villa and Golf Development within the coming years, kicking start the much-anticipated vertical development and business activities with the Port City Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
Ajlan and Bros Holding Group (Ajlan) is one of the largest comprehensive conglomerate holding group in the Middle East.
Ajlan has established its presence in over 25 countries around the world, with 75 companies in the fields of power, environment, industrial manufacturing, healthcare, tourism, technology, retail, real estate, garments and textiles, mining, water, FMCG, logistics, finance and fintech and entertainment and gaming, etc. Ajlan is a well-known Saudi garment manufacturer and trading company, as well as one of the largest real estate developers in Saudi Arabia.
Port City SEZ is the first-of-its-kind export-oriented SEZ for modern services within the region, catering for ICT, Financial Services, Professional Services, Logistics and Maritime Services, Digital Education, and Tourism and MICE. Up to date, a few regulations regarding company registration have been finalised and other regulations forming the ecosystem of the SEZ are expected to be realised within the next few months.
Coupled with the future-ready infrastructures and internationally competitive policy framework, Port City SEZ is expected to drive the economic and social development of Sri Lanka for the post-crisis era, attracting MNCs and FDIs to unlock the potential of the strategic location and high quality workforce of the island nation as a high-end service hub for Asia Pacific.
Musk breaks silence after 10 million Twitter users vote for him to step down
The billionaire says only paid Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to vote in future policy-related polls on the platform
Alex Hern and agencies
Elon Musk has tweeted for the first time since more than 10 million people voted in favour of him stepping down as Twitter’s chief executive, saying that only paid Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to vote in future policy-related polls.
On Sunday, Musk asked Twitter users whether he should step down as the head of the company, promising to abide by the results of his poll. When the poll closed on Monday, 57.5% said he should step down.
Normally a prolific user of the platform, Musk did not tweet in the immediate hours after the poll. His silence was finally broken when he responded with “Interesting” to multiple suggestions that the results of the poll were skewed by fake accounts.
Replying to another user’s suggestion that “Blue subscribers should be the only ones that can vote in policy related polls”, Musk said: “Good point. Twitter will make that change.”
Twitter Blue is a paid-for subscription that allows anyone to buy a blue tick verified badge for their account.
As the majority owner of the privately held company, no one can force Musk out, but a series of baffling decisions over the past few days has caused even some of his closest backers to break ties with him.
A decision to ban an account that tracked the location of his private jet last week was followed by a mass suspension of critical journalists who reported on the ban. That led in turn to an exodus of some engaged users to other social networks, chiefly its decentralised competitor Mastodon, whose own account was banned for posting a link to the jet tracker’s account on the rival platform.
On Sunday, Musk reacted by banning all links to other social networks, including Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook, and even minor platforms such as Nostr, used by the Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, and Linktree, a homepage creation tool favoured by influencers.
That ban was rescinded by the end of the day, after a Twitter poll from the Twitter Safety account, with Musk saying: “Going forward, there will be a vote for major policy changes. My apologies. Won’t happen again.”
Musk has a history of using Twitter polls to rubber-stamp major decisions, selling a tenth of his Tesla holdings after one poll in 2021, restoring Donald Trump’s account after a second last month and reinstating a number of suspended accounts after a third. “Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk tweeted after the Trump poll.
However, in many cases, he has given the impression of already having decided on the outcome before posting: he had already announced a sale of his Tesla holdings, for instance, long before he put it to a vote, and his plan to reinstate Trump had been discussed since before he even bought Twitter.
The idea of stepping down as chief executive had also been hinted at long before the Twitter poll was published. On 16 November, he told a Delaware judge that he planned to reduce his time at Twitter and “find somebody else to run Twitter over time”.
China donates school uniform material worth Rs. 5 bn
The government of China has donated school uniform material worth Rs. 5 billion (90 million RMB) meeting 70 per cent of the whole country’s school uniform requirement in 2023, the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka announced.
The first batch including a consignment of 03 million metres of finished material in 38,000 boxes via 20 boxes has left China yesterday (19), the Embassy said on its official Twitter handle.
The first batch of school uniform material includes;
- White Shirt/Frock – 2374427.5 metres,
- White Trouser – 350031.5 metres,
- Blue Trouser – 150003.5 metres, and
- Orange Robe of 138134 meters,
altogether 3012596.5 metres of material.
MIAP
Committee on January 6 Capitol Hill Riots recommends criminal charges against Trump!
Former president Trump’s behaviour during the January 6 US Capitol riots has been branded an “utter moral failure and a clear dereliction of duty” by an investigating committee, who say he is “unfit for any office”.
The committee investigating the January 6 storming of the US Capitol is recommending criminal charges against former President Donald Trump.
They include conspiracy to defraud the United States; obstructing an official proceeding (the certification of Joe Biden‘s election victory); conspiracy to make a false statement and inciting or assisting an insurrection.
The recommendation is mainly symbolic – with the US Justice Department responsible for deciding whether or not to prosecute Mr Trump.
But committee chair, Democrat Bennie Thompson, said: “We have every confidence that the work of this committee will help provide the road map to justice.”
A number of recommendations are made in the final report, which accuses Mr Trump of engaging in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the election.
Mr Thompson added: “We will also show that evidence we’ve gathered points to further action beyond the power of this committee or the congress to help ensure accountability in the law,” he said.
“Accountability that can only be found in the criminal justice system.”
Sky News
09 Underworld kingpins including ‘Kimbula Ele Guna’ arrested in India!
Nine Underworld leaders known for direct ties with drug and arms trafficking in Sri Lanka, including ‘Kimbula Ele Guna’, ‘Ladiya’ and ‘Welle Suranga’ have been apprehended in India.
These Underworld kingpins were seized by the Indian National Investigation Agency yesterday (19) as they were discovered to be hiding in a refugee camp in Tamil Nadu.
The arrestees are C. Gunasekaran alias ‘Guna’, Pushparaja alias ‘Pookutu Kanna’, Mohammed Azmin, Sunil Gamini Fonseka, Stanley Kennedy Fernando, Ladiya, Dhanushka Rohan, Welle Suranga and Dileepan, according to Indian media.
Further investigations are currently underway, reports added.
MIAP
Committee on High Posts approves appointments of 04 Ambassadors, 02 Permanent Representatives
The Committee on High Posts has approved the appointment of four Ambassadors and two Permanent Representatives recently (13) revealed Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake.
Accordingly, the Committee granted its approval for the appointment of Niroshani Manisha Dias Abeywickrama Gunasekara as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the French Republic and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris, France.
The appointment of Himalee Subhashini De Silva Arunatilaka as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland was also approved.
In addition, the Committee approved the appointments of Lanka Varuni Muthukumarana as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Federal Republic of Germany, J.A.D.S Priyangika Wijegunasekara as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and Sajeewa Umayanga Mendis as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
MIAP
Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill enacted!
The Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill recently approved in Parliament with a majority vote has been enacted by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday (19). With his signature, the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill has been enacted.
The Bill was subject to debate during its second reading on December 09 and was favoured by 83 votes, with 41 votes in objection.
During the debate for its third reading, 79 votes were cast in favour and 36 in objection.
Conclusively, the new Amendment Bill will be enacted as the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Act No. 45 of 2022, with the signature of the Speaker.
MIAP
‘Sakwala’ Initiative donates 44th bus to Maharagama Central College (PHOTOS)
The ‘Sakwala’ Initiative introduced by Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa yesterday (19) donated a bus to Maharagama Central College, the 44th donation of its kind, as part of the corporate social responsibilities undertaken by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).
The bus worth around Rs. 05 million was handed over to the students of Maharagama Central College yesterday.
The ‘Sakwala’ Initiative is undertaken with a vision to accomplish the sustainable goal of perfecting the livelihoods of the future generations of Sri Lanka with knowledge, skills and facilities.
Up to this point, the ‘Sakwala’ Initiative has donated buses to schools around the country worth over Rs. 200 million.
MIAP
President’s Secretary vows to give young officers a greater role in the implementation of gov-led initiatives
Presidential Secretary Mr Saman Ekanayake said that he is ready to give more opportunities to young government officers in the implementation of government development programs.
In addition, the President’s Secretary pointed out that the government officers can have a great influence in advancing the development programs of the government and requested the government officers to give an active contribution to it.
The President’s Secretary Mr Saman Ekanayake said this while addressing the annual meeting of the 2012 team of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service held at Kollupitiya Samudra Hotel recently.
The President’s Secretary pointed out that President Wickremesinghe has accepted the responsibility of the country amid many challenges and is currently taking the necessary steps to create a developed country by systematically building the economy.
The President’s Secretary also appreciated the service rendered by the 2012 group towards the country’s betterment.
Its president Mr Suranga Ranasinghe and high-ranking government officials of the 2012 group scattered throughout the island attended the annual meeting of the 2012 group of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service held under the theme “Be the impact”.
PMD