The President’s Fund has expressed its attention towards providing a monthly scholarship allowance for school-going children of low-income lottery sellers, as a means of supporting their educational needs.

This was revealed during a discussion held om Wednesday  (20) at the Presidential Secretariat between the Secretary to the President’s Fund and Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Roshan Gamage and officials of the National Lotteries Board and the Development Lotteries Board.

The President’s Fund currently provides financial assistance across a wide range of sectors to support low-income groups, while also implementing various scholarship schemes for schoolchildren. As an additional step, approval has reportedly been granted by the governing board of the President’s Fund to extend scholarships to children of low-income lottery sellers.

It was noted that the National Lotteries Board and Development Lotteries Board make a significant contribution to the President’s Fund. However, discussions also highlighted the fact that the living conditions of lottery sellers, who play a key role in generating revenue for these institutions, have remained largely unchanged. Accordingly, attention has been directed towards recognising their contribution and providing relief to ease their financial burden.

The proposal to introduce scholarships for school-going children of low-income lottery sellers through the President’s Fund was discussed in detail. Officials of both the National Lotteries Board and the Development Lotteries Board expressed their willingness to support the initiative. It was also decided that the programme would be implemented expeditiously through Divisional Secretariats.

Among those present were Chairman of the National Lotteries Board M. D. C. Anton Perera, General Manager of the National Lotteries Board A. M. Arif, and General Manager of the Development Lotteries Board W. K. A. A. Jayarathne, along with other officials.

 (PMD)

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 22 MAY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 22 May 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

The South-West monsoon is gradually getting established over the island and the current rainy conditions over the south-western parts of the island are expected to continue further for the next few hours.

Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Very heavy showers above 200 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces. Heavy showers  above 100 mm are likely at some places in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Several spells of showers will occur in the Northern province and in Anuradhapura district while showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 2.00 pm.

Fairly strong winds about (35-45) kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Southern provinces and in Trincomalee district.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday called on the government to begin negotiations immediately for a successor programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), warning that Sri Lanka is not on track to meet reserve targets under the current arrangement.

“I am calling on the government to begin negotiations for a successor IMF programme. Not to renegotiate the existing arrangement. A successor programme, the arrangement that takes effect when this one ends,” Premadasa said in a statement.

Full text of Premadasa’s statement, titled ‘Negotiate Now, While We Still Have Something to Negotiate With’: The numbers are not complicated. Sri Lanka has $7 billion in gross official reserves. The IMF’s own target for when our current programme ends in March 2027 is $14.2 billion. To bridge that gap, we would need to accumulate $600 million in reserves every month for the next twelve months. We are not on track to meet that target.

And yet the government has said nothing about what comes after March 2027. I am calling on the government today to begin negotiations for a successor IMF programme. Not to renegotiate the existing arrangement, which is proceeding.

A successor programme, the arrangement that takes effect when this one ends. What I am proposing is not a retreat from fiscal discipline. It is the opposite.Sri Lanka is not in a position of strength indefinitely.

The rupee has weakened by approximately 14% against the dollar over the past twelve months. Petrol stands at Rs. 410 per litre today close to the Rs. 470 crisis peak of June 2022, reached in just four months from Rs. 294 in January. Our $8.1 billion in annual remittances, depends heavily on continued employment in Gulf states at a moment when the Middle East conflict is reshaping the regional economy. These are not distant risks.

We have had seventeen IMF programmes. Every one of them that involved a genuine crisis was negotiated after the reserves were gone and the rupee was in freefall. Every time, Sri Lanka accepted whatever terms were offered, because it had no other choice.

We have a choice right now. The window to negotiate from relative strength with $7 billion in reserves, a functioning programme, and demonstrated reform credibility. I am asking this government to plan for March 2027 and explain to the country Sri Lanka’s contingency plan when we fail to meet the IMF target.