News

Draft for a new Monetary Law Act unveiled

Published

3 years ago

2023/02/26

ECONOMYNEXT –Sri Lanka has unveiled a draft for a new Monetary Law Act which will give independence for the central bank to operate flexible policy and implement both monetary and exchange rate policy.The central bank will have two primary objectives under clause 06.

(1) The primary object of the Central Bank shall be to achieve and maintain domestic price stability.

(2) The other object of the Central Bank shall be to secure the financial system stability.

It is also seeking from legislators powers to support government policy and target an output gaps (growth).

Subject to the two objectives the central bank “shall” support the general economic policy framework of the Government provided for in any law.

In seeking price stability, the central bank “shall take into account, inter alia, the stabilization of output towards its potential level.

In the existing law there was no specific legal authority for the central bank to print money to boost growth, ex-Deputy Central Bank Governor W A Wijewardene had said. The stimulus or output gap targeting which led to currency crises was probably illegal.

The central bank would implement both money and exchange policies under the new law.

According to the new Section 20:

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the powers, duties and functions of the Central Bank shall be to –

(a) determine and implement monetary policy; (b) determine and implement the exchange rate policy;

management of the official international reserves of Sri Lanka.

According to Section 11 of the new law:

“(1) There shall be a Monetary Policy Board of the Central Bank (in this Act referred to as the “Monetary Policy Board”), which is charged with the formulation of monetary policy of the Central Bank and implementation of a flexible exchange rate regime in line with the flexible inflation targeting framework in order to achieve and maintain domestic price stability.:

In the previous law, under primary objectives, then Central Bank Governor A J Jayewardene removed a responsibility for exchange rate policy (stabilizing the external value do the rupee), after more active open market operations was developed as a pre-cursor to moving towards inflation targeting with a floating rate.

However, in practice the central bank continued to intervene in forex markets, collect reserves and sell, operating a so-called impossible trinity policy regime, triggering a series of currency crises especially from 2012 amid more aggressive open market operations, eventually leading to external default, according to critics.

Critics have called for tight laws to block the central bank from operating conflicting money and exchange rate policies and either confine it to operating monetary policy (low inflation targeting with a controlled interest rates), abandoning exchange rate policy or operate a hard peg and abandon money printing to suppress rates.

Legislators have in the past uncritically passed exchange and import controls law robbing the liberties of citizens, instead of blocking conflicting money and exchange policies of the central bank.The new law however will not have provisional advances, a method that limited money printing above the 1950 anchor to 10 percent of expected revenues.

Legislator Kabir Hashim, an economist, has already fired a warning shot, pointing out that the country’s economic bureuacrats have ignored top classical economists who advised Sri Lanka including Singapore economic architect Goh Ken Swee (who called for a hard peg) and B R Shenoy who called for a clean float.

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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Kegalle, Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts during the day time

Published

1 hour ago

2026/04/29

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 28 April 2026, valid for 29 April 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Kegalle,
Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts during the day time.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

News

Treasury chief’s citizenship details sought from Australia

Published

3 hours ago

2026/04/29

Sahan Weerasooriya

Nagananda / Harshana

New controversy erupts over missing USD 2.5 mn:

Public interest activist Nagananda Kodituwakku has sought citizenship details of Finance Ministry Secretary Harshana Suriyapperuma from the Department of Home Affairs, Australia.

According to a letter dated 28 April, addressed to the relevant department, Solicitor England and Wales Kodituwakku sought the required information in terms of Section 15 of the Freedom of Information Act No 3 of 1982 of Australia. Suriyapperuma is also the Secretary to the Treasury.

The former Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Suriyapperuma (from November 2024 to June 2025) is embroiled in a deepening controversy over the theft of USD 2.5 mn from the Treasury.

The leader of the Vinivida Foundation said that he intended to move court against Suriyapperuma for entering Parliament through the NPP National List in violation of the country’s Constitution (Article 91(1)(d)(xiiii).

Kodituwakku said: “This is clearly an accountability and integrity issue and violation of the Constitution of Sri Lanka and also this act contravenes the law of a member in the Commonwealth.”

USD 2.5 mn paid to a third party was meant to be an instalment of a loan taken from Australia. Suriyapperuma neither responded to an SMS nor answered his hand phone.

Geetha Kumarasinghe (UPFA/Galle District) and Diana Gamage (SJB National List) lost their seats in 2017 and 2024, respectively, over citizenship issues.

Meanwhile, public interest group ‘Free Lawyers’ that exposed the theft of Treasury funds questioned the failure on the part of Dr. Harsha de Silva, Chairman of Committee on Public Finance (CoPF), to pressure President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to temporarily remove Suriyapperuma to facilitate unhindered investigations.

On behalf of ‘Free Lawyers’, Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon yesterday expressed concern over the way the CoPF, under SJBer de Silva’s leadership, handled the issue at hand. Issuing an open letter, Tennakoon, urged the CoPF chief to explain his stand on a spate of vital issues which needed to be addressed without any further delay.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

News

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake handing over a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhiya in Anuradhapura to Ven Bhikku Pannakara

Published

3 hours ago

2026/04/29

Sahan Weerasooriya

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake handing over a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhiya in Anuradhapura to Ven Bhikku Pannakara (Sue Tue Nhan) at the conclusion of the 161 km ‘International Peace Walk’ in Colombo yesterday. The Bo-sapling will be taken to the US by the spiritual leader. Pic by Sujata Jayaratne