News

JVP predicts crash of economy imminent, due to mismanagement

Published

5 years ago

2021/05/10

By Saman Indrajith

The 2020 Central Bank annual report presented to Parliament last week is a testimony to the fact that the country’s economy is in dire straits, says the JVP.

Addressing the media at the party headquarters in Pelawatte yesterday, JVP Politburo member and former MP Sunil Handunnetti alleged that the government was using the funds meant for the development of the country for its projects to cling on to power. “The Central Bank report confirms many warnings we have been issuing in the recent past. The country’s economy is sliding into a recession and there would be a crash soon. The economy recorded a growth of -1.6% during the first quarter of 2020. That was before the onset of the pandemic. The situation worsened in the second quarter. The government is citing the pandemic as the reason for the sharp economic downturn.

“The impact of the pandemic on the economy is evident, but what we are experiencing is mainly due to the economic mismanagement. There are five main crises in our economy. The first is the loan crisis. The revenue received by the Treasury is not sufficient even to pay the installments of loans taken. To pay-back the due installments the country needs to borrow an additional 135 billion rupees. The total outstanding loans as at 2019 was Rs 14,115 billion. That increased to Rs 16,427 billion in 2020. The government has to pay 6.9 billion US dollars as loan repayments. The second is the import-export crisis.

“The government came into power promising to improve the production industry and bring down imports. We have sea areas, which eight times the country’s land masse, but we imported fish worth Rs 34,650 million in 2020. In 2010, we produced 27 percent of the onion requirement in this country; now it has dropped to eight per cent so that we have to import 92 per cent of the country’s onion requirement. We have imported Rs 27,610 million worth of salt, milk and milk products worth Rs 61,930 million. The third crisis is the weak government revenue. In 2016 the government income was around 23 per cent of the GDP. As at 2014 the figure dropped to 11.5 per cent. Now it’s at 9.1 percent.

“The fourth crisis is the collapse of the industrial sector due to the high cost of raw materials, failure to combine technological support with the industrial process and inability to create a proper market for industrial output. The fifth crisis is the inequitable distribution of national wealth.”

Of the total population, the top 10 percent of rich enjoy 38.4% of national income while 10 per cent at the bottom receive only 1.1 per cent of the national income. There is a huge tax burden on the people. This government promised to maintain 40 percent direct taxes and 60 percent indirect taxes. Yet now the indirect taxes are around 80 percent. Sri Lanka is the only country in the world with this much taxes on food consumed by the people. Even in India it’s 49 per cent, in Indonesia its 50 percent and in Thailand it is at 40 percent.”

JVP Central Committee Members Wasantha Samarasinghe and Nalin Hewage also addressed the press.

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Addressing the drug issue in the country must be treated as a national priority – PM

Published

2 hours ago

2026/03/15

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya emphasized that addressing the drug issue in the country must be treated as a national priority, highlighting that it must deliver results at the ground level.

A meeting to brief the Prime Minister on the National Strategic Plan for the Management, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Persons with Substance Use Disorders (SUD) 2026–2030 was held with the participation of officials from the Ministry of Health and Mass Media and other key stakeholders on 13th of March at the Temple Trees.

The discussion focused on the proposed national strategy developed to address the growing health, social and economic challenges associated with substance use disorders in Sri Lanka. The strategic plan aims to strengthen prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration services through a coordinated and evidence-based national approach.

During the meeting, attention was drawn to existing gaps in early identification of substance use disorders, continuity of care, community-based follow-up and reintegration of recovering individuals into society. The plan proposes several key interventions, including strengthening screening and symptomatic treatment at primary healthcare and outpatient levels, improving hospital-based treatment and follow-up services, expanding residential rehabilitation facilities, and enhancing community-based rehabilitation and relapse prevention programmes.

Special emphasis has also been placed on providing targeted support for vulnerable groups, including children and adolescents, pregnant women, mothers with children and prison inmates.

Speaking on the importance of strengthening the national response to drug issues, the Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya noted that the drug menace has evolved into a serious social crisis that threatens social stability and security of families and the nation as a whole highlighting that law enforcement and rehabilitation in this regard must be given equal priority.

The Prime Minister further underscored the importance of including public awareness initiatives and responsible media reporting as key components of the national strategy.

The meeting was attended by the Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Anil Jasinghe, officials from the Department of Prisons, Bureau of Rehabilitation, Sri Lanka Police Ministry of health, Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Justice and National Integration ,Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and other relevant department and ministries.

[Prime minister’s Media Division]

Latest News

QR code system will be implemented for fuel with effect from 06.00 a.m. today (15th)

Published

9 hours ago

2026/03/15

Priyan

In light of the prevailing geopolitical developments in Middle East, the petroleum product supply chain has been adversely affected. At the same time, the demand for fuel has increased abnormally, resulting in a depletion of the country’s existing fuel stock. Therefore, it has become necessary to carefully manage the available fuel reserves in order to sustain the nation’s economic activities.

Furthermore, it has recently been observed that certain groups have been illegally purchasing fuel in excessive quantities. The Government of Sri Lanka intends to prevent such improper consumption and ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply for the day-to-day needs and economic activities of the general public.

Accordingly, a QR code system will be implemented with effect from 06.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026.

Fuel will not be issued by any operating filling station in the country without a valid QR code from 06.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026.

Steps to Obtain the QR Code

Users who have already registered for the QR Code
Users whose vehicle ownership and registered mobile number remain unchanged since their initial registration may download their QR Code from the website https://fuelpass.gov.lk/ starting from midnight on 14.03.2026, using the ‘Vehicle Login’ button.
Users whose vehicle ownership or registered mobile number has changed since their last registration are required to re-register their details through the website https://fuelpass.gov.lk/ starting from 6.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026, using the ‘Vehicle Registration’ button.
Users who have not previously registered for the QR Code and users with newly registered vehicles at
the RMV
Registration can be completed starting from 06.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026 through the
website https://fuelpass.gov.lk/, using the ‘Vehicle Registration’ button.

The number of litres allocated for each category of vehicle is stated below.

A special fuel issuance system will be implemented for vehicles required to support national production and essential services.

Vehicle Class	Capacity control volume for fuel pass (L)
Buses	60
Motor cycle	5
Van	40
Motor car	15
Motor Lorry	200
Land Vehicles	25
Three Wheeler	15
Special Purpose Vehicle	40
Quadricycle	5

[Sri Lanka Transport Board will issue fuel to the private buses].

News

Lanka discovers largest groundwater source

Published

10 hours ago

2026/03/15

Thilina Walpola

The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) on Friday said the largest groundwater source discovered in Sri Lanka so far had been identified during tube-well drilling near the Pitabeddara Police Station.

Indrajith Gamage, geologist in charge of the Southern Province, said the source recorded a continuous flow of about 10,000 litres (10 cubic metres) per minute, marking the first instance in the country where a groundwater source of that magnitude had been found.

He noted that the previous largest groundwater source was discovered in the Madhu area, which recorded a flow of about 7,000 litres per minute.

According to the NWSDB, the tube well was drilled following geological studies of rock layers and the identification of underground water through fractures in rock strata using specialised technical instruments.

The Board said steps would be taken to distribute water from the newly discovered source to residents facing shortages in Pitabeddara, Morawaka and surrounding areas.