News

Lankans migrate, work over time, and eat less to beat inflation

Published

4 years ago

2022/10/23

By SHIHAR ANEEZ

Leaving his family and relatives was the hardest decision for Suren. But he had no other option.He never wanted to go abroad for work. An accountant by profession, Suren even had the opportunity to be promoted for a higher post at the private firm he was working at in Colombo. But he was left with no choice.

“For the last three years, I had hopes that this country would become a better place for us to live peacefully. But it is becoming increasingly hard to live with the status quo,” the 36-year-old father of three from Colombo suburb Dehiwela said in conversation with EconomyNext.

Armed with a local accountancy qualification, Suren managed to find a job in Dubai. He leaves Colombo next week and is now in the process of preparing his family for his physical absence.

“It’s very hard to find an affordable school van service for my two sons. If I live in Sri Lanka, at least 40 percent of my salary will go only to send my boys to school,” he said after dropping his children at one of the main schools in Colombo.

A currency crisis that led to a shortage of essentials, sovereign debt default, and later into a political crisis has forced Suren to look for better opportunities than his 50,000 rupee (139 dollar) monthly salary.The sharp depreciation of Sri Lanka’s currency alone resulted in his monthly salary eroding from 250 US dollars to its current level. Excess money printing by the central bank to artificially maintain record low interest rates and exchange rates are now taking their toll on Sri Lankans from all walks of life.

Suren will now earn in UAE dirham which has almost doubled against the local rupee in the last seven months.

“I can’t think of a future for my kids because at one point we did not have milk powder for my younger child, wheat flour to make breakfast, cooking gas for our own meals or medicines for my mother. More than anything, costs have gone up like crazy with no additional income,” he said.

Thousands of Sri Lanka’s skilled workers and professionals are facing the same situation as Suren. Most of them plan to leave the country either for a foreign job or to migrate permanently.

Official data showed that over a quarter million people have left the country so far this year, mainly for jobs.

“When you earn in foreign currency, at least you can manage the expenses,” said Suren.

“It is a cushion against the high costs. I hope I can take my family as well in the future to a foreign country. I have lost hope in this country.”

Sri Lanka’s inflation is hovering at a record high of 70 percent. The price of essential goods have more than tripled just in the last eight months, data showed.A person needs at least 500 rupees to have three meals a day with minimum nutrition.

Food inflation is now hovering over 90 percent.The central bank’s tight monetary policy with a record increase of policy rates has yet to curb inflation.Money printing, supply disruptions caused by former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s fertilizer mess up, a crippling dollar shortage, and sharp depreciation of the rupee led to significant price increases and affected supply across the board.

Supermarkets have put up notices warning customers that there could be frequent price hikes and asking them not to argue with staff if the real prices are not the same as those displayed on the shelves.Many Sri Lankans have cut down on food. Some have reduced their meals to two a day while others manage with reduced protein content in their plates. Some others have changed meals to one and consume cheaper foods at main meals.

“My wife and I have stopped eating in the mornings. But we try to give nutritious meals to our kids,” Shantha Silva, a 46-year old father of two, told EconomyNext.

Silva was a threewheeler taxi driver before the economic crisis. But the fuel shortage and expensive petrol have resulted in less demand for hires as more people have shifted to public transport or push bicycles or walking.Now he goes on hires as a part-time driver mainly at night. In morning hours, he works as a security guard at a private office in Wattala, 10km from capital Colombo, while also working in a hotel kitchen when he has some time off.

“It’s a machine life now,” said Silva.

“If you want to survive in Sri Lanka without stealing or smuggling drugs, you have to have multiple jobs or reduce the meals you take.”

Silva’s wife is a cancer survivor but still needs medicines to keep the 45-year old kindergarden teacher healthy.

Both of their salaries are now adequate to manage only 50 percent of the total needs of their family. Before the crisis, Silva’s family saved at least 10,000 rupees or nearly 10 percent of their monthly compensation.But now Silva, similar to millions of Sri Lankans, is struggling to make ends meet.

“Reducing meals is not an option for children as they might face malnutrition. So I try my best to feed them by working multiple jobs,” he said.

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News

Lalit Rajbanshi, Kushal Bhurtel set up Nepal’s opening win

Published

7 mins ago

2026/09/25

Priyan

File photo: Kushal Bhurtel ripped through Afghanistan's middle order[Cricinfo]

Spinners Kushal Bhurtel and Lalit Rajbanshi shared seven wickets between them to give Nepal a winning start to their cricket campaign in the Asian Games, in Nishin. They restricted Afghanistan to 102 for 7 in 20 overs, after which Nepal chased the target with five wickets and 16 balls to spare.

This was Afghanistan’s first defeat in the competition after they had also started with a win against Japan on Thursday.

After opting to bat, Afghanistan were reduced to 16 for 3 in the fifth over, with left-arm fingerspinner Rajbanshi accounting for all three wickets in his three overs in the powerplay. Faisal Ahmadzai, who was making his T20I debut for Afghanistan, scored 30 off 33 balls and Najibullah Zadran chalked up an identical score to help their team recover briefly.

Bhurtel, the legspinner, though ran through the middle order, bagging figures of 4 for 21 in his four overs. Apart from Najibullah and Ahmadzai, no other Afghanistan batter passed 20.

Bhurtel then fell for a duck in the first over of Nepal’s chase and by the seventh over, they were wobbling at 31 for 3. Sundeep Jora (34) and former captain Rohit Paudel (33 not out) then stabilised the chase and put Nepal back on the path to victory. Paul remained unbeaten, along with Gulsan Jha, to get the job done for Nepal in the 18th over.

Scores: Nepal 103 for 5 in 17.2 overs (Sundeep Jora 34, Rohit Paudel 33*, Dipendra Singh Airee 15; Fairdoon Dawoodzai 1-10, Abdollah Ahmadzai 1-15, Arab Gull 1-13) beat Afghanistan 102 for 7 in 20 overs (Faisal Khan Ahmadzai 30, Najibullah Zadran 30, Nangeyahlia Khan 17*; Kushal Bhurtel 4-21, Lalit Rajbanshi 3-13) by five wickets

[Cricinfo]

News

‘Vision’ Programme Marks Two Years

Published

9 hours ago

2026/09/25

Priyan

Marking the completion of two years of the ‘Vision’ Programme, students from Pinnawala Central College and Matale Siri Seevali College were given an opportunity on Thursday (24) to visit the Presidential Secretariat.

The ‘Vision’ Programme was launched for schoolchildren jointly by the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Education and the Department of Communication of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

Following a visit to the former Parliament building at the Presidential Secretariat, the students were also briefed on the history of Parliament.

The role of the President’s Fund and its importance to schoolchildren were explained by Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage.

The ‘Vision’ commemorative book, featuring the two-year journey of the ‘Vision’ Programme and its special activities, was also presented to the participating schools.

As part of the programme, valuable plants were also presented to the schools as a symbolic gesture underscoring the importance of environmental conservation.

Director General of Public Relations Dharmasiri Gamage, the Director and Assistant Director of the Tri-Services Security Coordination Unit, the principals and teaching staff of Pinnawala Central College and Matale Siri Seevali College, and students were among those present on the occasion.

President’s Media Division (PMD)

News

Sajith vows to scrap 22A under future govt.

Published

10 hours ago

2026/09/25

Thilina Walpola

Sajith at yesterday’s protest

Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday vowed that an SJB government would repeal the 22nd Amendment (22A) to the Constitution.Premadasa made the pledge while addressing thousands of SJB supporters who gathered near Parliament to protest against 22A.

Addressing the rally at Polduwa Junction, Battaramulla, Premadasa said the proposed constitutional amendment would undermine democracy and judicial independence and enable the concentration of political power in the Executive.

“Even if they pass it, under an SJB government we will scrap it,” Premadasa told the gathering, claiming that 22A was aimed at paving the way for a one-party state and placing the State under the control of a single political party.

Braving the rain, Premadasa said they had gathered there peacefully and had no intention of resorting to violence.

“We have gathered here to protect democracy,” he said, challenging the government to hold Provincial Council elections if it was confident of facing the people.

Premadasa said the SJB was prepared to work with any democratic and clean political force committed to the country’s progress and public welfare, amid ongoing discussions on cooperation among Opposition parties, including the United National Party.

Premadasa also accused groups aligned with the government of attempting to discourage people from attending the protest through statements and other measures.

SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said the protest had been organised against the proposed amendment, which the party had opposed on the grounds that it could pave the way for authoritarianism.

The demonstration began around 9 a.m. at Polduwa Junction and coincided with Parliament taking up the proposed 22nd Amendment for debate. Proceedings on the Bill are scheduled to continue today (25).

The Supreme Court has determined that the proposed amendment does not require approval at a referendum and could be passed with a special majority in Parliament.

Meanwhile, traffic congestion was reported on roads surrounding Parliament and Polduwa Junction following the demonstration.

Security was also tightened in and around the Parliamentary complex, with a heavy police presence observed at Polduwa Junction and near the main entrance to Parliament.