November 2021 - Lanka Focus

Divisions within Government on seeking IMF help

November 25, 2021November 25, 2021 admin

Divisions within Government on seeking IMF help Cabinet views contradict with parliamentary group Cabinet discusses pros and cons of turning to IMF Gammanpila in favour; Basil, Bandula, Vasu oppose BY Shenal Fernando -The Morning 25-11-2021) Amidst proposals and recommendations by various economists and international rating agencies to seek International Monetary Fund (IMF) assistance, the Government of Sri Lanka is divided on seeking such assistance, both within the Cabinet of Ministers and the parliamentary group, according to Co-Cabinet Spokesman and Minister of Mass Media Dullas Alahapperuma. Speaking during the Cabinet press…

‘One country, one law’ and forgotten manuscripts

November 25, 2021August 6, 2022 admin

‘One country, one law’ and forgotten manuscripts (Malinda Seviratne – Daily Mirror) That’s politics and not some high minded philosophical predilection. They want a green Sri Lanka, for example, but would cut down all the trees and poison the land, air and water rather than see this government delivering what they are supposedly fighting for. What Rajapaksa and Premadasa (and other candidates) promised is that there would be a single corpus of laws. In other words, what applies to a Sinhalese would apply to a Tamil, what applies to a…

Govt. puts draft National Tourism Policy for public review

November 24, 2021November 24, 2021 admin

Govt. puts draft National Tourism Policy for public review Plans to enforce National Tourism Policy by 31 January 4 key pillars of new policy focus on integrated SL including sustainability, informed stakeholders, incentives strategies Following public opinion, draft policy will be gazetted and submit for Parliament approval By Charumini de Silva(FT 24-11-2021) The Government has called for public views to complete the first draft of the National Tourism Policy blueprint, as part of its ongoing efforts to develop a more resilient sector. Sri Lanka Tourism seeks to springboard from recovery…

Mannar oil block with gas well auction in 2022

November 23, 2021November 23, 2021 admin

Mannar oil block with gas well auction in 2022 Sri Lanka plans to auction M2 oil block with gas well in early 2022 ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka will auction an oil block in the Mannar basin where traces of natural gas had already been found in early 2022, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila said. “In the beginning of 2022 we will have an auction to get investors for the M2 block,” Minister Gammanpila told parliament. Cairn Lanka, a unit of Cairn India found the presence of natural gas in two exploration…

Cash-strapped govt. seeks Indian lifeline: Basil to visit New Delhi

November 23, 2021November 23, 2021 admin

Cash-strapped govt. seeks Indian lifeline: Basil to visit New Delhi (By Shamindra Ferdinando The Island 23-11-2021) Declaring that Sri Lanka was experiencing the worst ever post-independence economic crisis, Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday said Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s forthcoming visit to New Delhi might give the country an opportunity to explore ways and means of overcoming the overwhelming challenges. Prof. Peiris, who is also the Chairman of the ruling SLPP, emphasised that the Finance Minister’s visit was meant to seek not only loans but also wider cooperation on a…

Chemical fertiliser ban reversed?

November 22, 2021August 6, 2022 admin

Chemical fertiliser ban reversed? Agriculture Ministry Secy. says chemical fertilisers will be imported Mahindananda claims no decision to import chemical for paddy, vegetables Shasheendra says 100% organic not possible in one season SJB claims chemical fertiliser ban now reversed By Buddhika Samaraweera- The Morning 22-11-2021 Ministry of Agriculture Secretary Prof. Udith K. Jayasinghe-Mudalige stated yesterday (21) that steps will be taken to re-import standardised, second-generation chemical fertilisers, agrochemicals, and essential plant nutrients required for paddy, maize, vegetables, and other plantation crops, which, if implemented, would appear to signal an abandonment…

Confectionery exporters look to relocate overseas

November 19, 2021November 19, 2021 admin

Confectionery exporters look to relocate overseas Exploring locations favourable and competitive for production Claim export orders in jeopardy as local manufacturing becomes expensive Looking at opportunities to outsource manufacturing or set up plants in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh $ 200 m industry warns shift will result over 550,000 people losing jobs and livelihood Say doing business not conducive to investors; if no proactive measures taken to protect remaining exports, economy will suffer Companies likely to stop most production lines due to supply constraints of raw materials By Charumini de…

Some observations on Budget 2022

November 19, 2021August 6, 2022 admin

Some observations on Budget 2022 Dissecting the mixed opinions on Budget 2022 By Sumudu Chamara – The Morning On 12 November, the Government presented what, in economic terms, can be referred to as a recovery Budget, in a context where the country has just started paying attention to and supporting the revival of sectors that did not receive adequate attention last year. In other words, unlike in the pre-Covid-19 pandemic era, this Budget is expected to ease the economic burden on almost all segments of the society, not only a…

700 K government officers threaten TU action over salaries

November 18, 2021November 18, 2021 admin

700 K government officers threaten TU action over salaries Demand Rs. 18 K salary hike for public servants Two-week written ultimatum sent to Prez, PM, Basil BY Buddhika Samaraweera (The Morning 17-11-2021) The Sri Lanka Government Officers’ Trade Union Association (SLGOTUA) has warned that if there is no positive response from the Government to their request to increase the salaries of public servants as a remedy to the rising cost of living (CoL), more than 700,000 public servants will inevitably go on a trade union action after 27 November. The…

Lankans lining up to migrate

November 17, 2021November 17, 2021 admin

Lankans lining up to migrate (Daily FT 17-11-2021) Survey reveals reasons linked to dissatisfaction with COVID strategy and economic prospects, but Opposition failing to benefit A new survey shows that increasing numbers of Sri Lankans want to leave the country, probably more than at any time in the past five years. The findings were released yesterday by compiler of the survey the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) via the Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) that was launched to assess public opinion as the country recovers from COVID-19. IHP said…