The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, met with Mr. Takafumi Kadono, Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Sri Lanka Resident Mission, at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday [20]. The discussions underscored ADB’s role as a key development partner and highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts in advancing Sri Lanka’s national development priorities.

During the discussion Prime Minister emphasized the importance of developing school infrastructure, teacher training, and assessment mechanisms. ADB reaffirmed its commitment to addressing challenges in the education sector through ongoing projects, including initiatives to enhance teacher and principal training.

The Sri Lankan delegation at the meeting included  Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Prime Minister; . Nalaka Kaluwewe, Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education; Ms. Sagarika Bogahawatta, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister; . Samantha Bandara, Director General;  Ranjith Garusinghe, Acting Director of the ADB Division; Ms. Dananji Amarasinghe, Assistant Director of the ADB Division at the Department of External Resources, Ministry of Finance; and Ms. Lashinka Dammullage, Director of Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka will review the role of 115 state entities which cost 140 billion rupees a year to maintain, Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa said.

Sri Lanka now has 86 departments, 25 district secretariats, and 339 divisional secretariats; 340 enterprises owned by the government and 115 non-commercial state statutory institutions other than police.

“There are boards, commissions, foundations, universities and statutory entities,” Jayatissa said.

“In the 2024 budget, 140 billion rupees was allocated for these entities.”

The 115 non-commercial state statutory institutions come under the supervision of the Department of National Budget and 51 institutions under the Department of Public Enterprises.

The purpose of these establishments has decreased over time, or the entities have lost its timeliness, and they lack or have very little power to initiate programs, and sometimes overlap with other establishments, Jayatissa said.

There was a timely requirement to conduct a review of these entities, he said, and the Cabinet of Ministers had approved a proposal to appoint an official committee headed by the Prime Minister’s secretary to conduct such a review and submit a report with recommendations.

Any savings made following the review will reduce the tax burden of the state on the people, in a spending based fiscal consolidation move.

Sri Lanka has been operating a ‘revenue based fiscal consolidation’ strategy under the IMF from around 2015 which eventually led to sovereign default after money was printed to target potential output. Technical assistance to target potential output was also given by the IMF.

(UCAN) Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has called for a Sri Lanka free from corruption and lawlessness, emphasizing the urgent need for systemic change.

“Corruption and lawlessness have spread throughout the country due to the wrong economic practices” of previous governments, Ranjith said, and hoped the new government “would bring about a positive transformation.”

“Nowadays, many people living in our country are wondering how even to celebrate Christmas and find their daily meals,” he added.

Speaking to the media ahead of Christmas on Dec. 19, the cardinal urged Catholics to remember the less fortunate this Christmas, encouraging families to open their homes and embrace the poor during the holiday season.

“I request all our Catholic families to invite a poor family in your neighborhood to your home this Christmas and share a meal,” Ranjith said.

He suggested they could provide lunch to a family or books and clothing for the children of the poor.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a special Christmas message that said the problem of poverty can only be alleviated by creating a fair economic structure.

“Creating this environment in our country requires the sincere commitment of every individual,” the bishops said in their Dec. 18 statement.

Meanwhile, the Coconut Development Authority announced that Cardinal Ranjith will subsidize the government’s purchase of coconuts from church-owned plantations in response to the national shortage and high coconut prices.

Suranimala Gunawardena, a rights activist campaigning against political corruption, said former politicians had misused millions of rupees from the President’s Fund.

Nalinda Jayatissa, the chief government whip and Minister of Health and Mass Media, revealed this in Parliament on Dec. 17.

He said 36 former parliamentarians had received millions of rupees from the President’s Fund from 2005 to 2024.

“This is the fund for people with critical illnesses, such as those needing heart surgery or cancer treatment. It is very difficult to raise 100,000 rupees [$347] for a patient, but former politicians have taken millions from this President’s Fund,” Gunawardena told UCA News.