News
UNP prescribes spending dollars received from IMF to fight COVID
By Piyasena Dissanayake
UNP Chairman and former Minister Wajira Abeywardena yesterday called on the Government to spend US Dollars 720 million being granted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) solely on controlling Coronavirus and said that the Government should join a programme with the IMF and obtain money to build the economy as well.
Addressing Galle District UNP activists, via zoom technology, Abeywardena said that the World Health Organization (WHO) had said that a committee of specialists should be appointed to control the Coronavirus. He said apart from Sri Lanka every other country had fulfilled that request.
“The Government does not have money as the VAT was reduced. It has not made any statement regarding the steps that should be taken in connection with schoolchildren not receiving education for two years. If we can vaccinate those under 12, children will be protected within schools,” he said.
The UNP Chairman said that the IMF funds should be spent to arrest the rapid spread of COVID and measures needed to be taken to prevent people being impacted by COVID-19.
The epidemiology unit had said that there had been late entries, so they would have to revise those numbers by about four thousand (4,000), he said adding that it meant that the statistics were also being questioned.
“What we should be doing at the moment is to deal with those who are already infected, then if we stop the rapid spread then we can reduce the number of those infected and control it,” he added.
The Government declared a lockdown for that purpose. It received everyone’s support, “but according to the medical advice this is not a sufficient period. Another week to two weeks are required”, Abeywardena said.
“The other side of it is the economic damage that can be caused by a lockdown, but today we have reached a point where the damage caused by a lockdown is far less than the damage caused by not having a lockdown. The remedy for this is to immediately go to the IMF to get assistance. Already we have received US $720 million from the IMF for our COVID control campaign,” he said.
Chief of Staff to the President and National Security Advisor (NSA) Sagala Ratnayaka led the Sri Lanka delegation to the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier Security Summit held in Singapore from 2 – 4 June 2023.
The highly anticipated summit commenced on 2 June with a powerful Keynote address delivered by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Throughout the event, a series of plenary sessions delved into various crucial geo-political issues, encompassing the establishment of a stable and balanced Asia Pacific, the resolution of regional tensions, the evolution of maritime security in Asia, US leadership in the Indo-Pacific, and China’s latest security initiatives, among other topics.
During the Special Session focusing on ‘Defence Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region,’ Ratnayaka delivered an impactful statement, participating alongside representatives from India, Oman, France, and the United States. He emphasized the significance of keeping big power rivalries and external conflicts out of the Indian Ocean, highlighting Sri Lanka’s efforts in the United Nations to declare the region as a zone of peace. Furthermore, he underscored the country’s contributions to preserving freedom of navigation and over flight, stressing the crucial need for constructive dialogue among all stakeholders in the Indian Ocean region to pursue shared interests.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal raised by the Minister of Health to reduce the maximum retail price of 60 medicines by 16% with effect from 15.06.2023 and review the price of medicines every three months
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