Reports on the government being unable to pay welfare benefits entitled to public servants are completely false, said State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe, responding to claims on the government’s alleged attempt of slashing public servants’ paychecks.

Despite the economic crisis befallen the country being continuous, the government is able to manage all challenges and the government has prioritised the proper payment of public servants’ salaries, the payment of welfare allowances and the provision of foreign exchange required for import of essential commodities, the Minister noted.

Semasinghe urged the public not to be deceived by false reports on public servants’ salaries and welfare benefits being slashed.

MIAP

A special discussion took place this evening (02) between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Most Rev. Dr. Harold Anthony Perera, Bishop of Kurunegala and the President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka.

After greeting the Bishop, the President discussed about the Catholic Religious affairs. The meeting took place at Bishop House, Kurunegala.

Very Rev.Fr.Piyal Janaka Fernando of Kurunegala Catholic Diocese, the Treasurer of Kurunegala Catholic Diocese Most Reverend Sagara Prishantha and former Minister Mr. Ravi Karunanayake also participated at this occasion.

President Media Division

The rulers have the responsibility to protect the right to education for every child and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child should be implemented more actively for the sake of the country’s future generations, said Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, addressing the occasion of donating a bus worth over Rs. 05 million to the Hindu College, Bambalapitiaya under the Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s (SJB) ‘Sakwala’ initiative.

The Opposition Leader noted that the rulers’ failure has created a situation where children cannot go to school.

The SJB will continue to carry out activities for the people without being submissive to the privileges such as presidency, premiership and ministerialships.

MIAP

1. Most venerable Mahanayake Theras of 3 Chapters request President Ranil Wickremesinghe to grant concessions on the recent electricity tariff hikes to all temples: say the temples render an enormous service to society.
   
2. Former CB Deputy Governor Dr. W A Wijewardena cautions that debt restructuring is a long-drawn-out exercise; points out that it took 11 years to do so in Argentina: it’s now nearly 7 months since the country approached IMF and 6 months since defaulting debt.
   
3. Successive governments spend over Rs.504mn on ten Special Presidential Commissions of Inquiry over the past 8 years: no information available on the outcomes of these Special PCoIs.
   
4. Arrack prices increased by an average of Rs.150 per bottle: prices of two brands of cigarettes up by Rs.5 per stick.
   
5. TMTK leader C V Wigneswaran says Sri Lanka must be referred to the International Criminal Court: slams UNHRC resolution as “insufficient and diluted” in favour of Sri Lanka.
   
6. Government says it’s ready to discuss resumption of Japanese funded Light Rail Transit project: Japan says such discussions could commence only after debt restructuring programme is in place: not a single creditor now ready to accept “soft” default promoted by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s advisors.
   
7. World Food Programme says ripple effects of Ukraine conflict is making large parts of the world more vulnerable and contributing to new humanitarian crises: also says three quarters of the population in Sri Lanka have been forced to reduce their food intake.
   
8. Government waives duties on 5 imported raw materials required for locally produced sanitary napkins: price of a pack of 10 napkins to be reduced by Rs.50 to 60.
   
9. Popular actor Darshan Dharmaraj 41, passes away: he was adjudged Best Actor for his role in “Ini Avan” which was also adjudged Best Film.
   
10. Lotus Tower attracts more than 100,000 visitors in its first 15 days since opening.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Ali Sabry met with the Australian High Commissioner Paul Stephens at the Ministry on 30 September, 2022.  The Foreign Minister congratulated the High Commissioner on his appointment as the Head of the Mission to Sri Lanka.

The Foreign Minister appreciated the recent immediate humanitarian assistance extended to tackle domestic challenges.

Australian High Commissioner referred to possibilities for investment in the energy and education sector. Foreign Minister welcomed investments from Australian Companies in Sri Lanka.

The Foreign Minister also discussed a range of bilateral issues including matters of mutual interest at the multilateral level.

Senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Australian High Commission were also present.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Colombo

02 October, 2022

More than Rs. 93 billion per month is required to settle the paychecks of 1.5 million public servants in Sri Lanka, analysts pointed out.

Despite treasury bills being printed in the recent past without any limit to settle the salaries of the public servants, agreements reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have severely restricted the printing of money.

In the backdrop, the salaries of the public servants are also facing a crisis, and the government’s ongoing efforts to increase the state tax revenue by introducing new tax schemes lead to the question of how long can such operations last as a solution to the economic crisis of Sri Lanka, whilst weighing on tax further aggravates the general public and the public servants alike.

Meanwhile, enrolments at the public service have been suspended and the retiring age being limited to 60 will slash the public service by 25,000 by the end of 2022, official records disclosed.

Nonetheless, enrolments will continue to fill vacancies at certain essential public sectors such as the Medical Sector and the Engineering Sector in order to maintain an uninterrupted service, the GOSL said.

Withstanding the above circumstances, analysts warn that the GOSL will be compelled to slash the salaries of the public servants, hence endless reports being surfaced on Social Media corroborating the claim.

The GOSL, on the other hand, strongly denies the claim, as on one occasion State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya assured that no decision was taken to slash the salaries of the public servants. Such speculations are being propagated by organised groups to provoke unrest among the general pubic, he added.

MIAP