Budget highlights Following are the highlights of Budget proposals made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament yesterday: New economic and political system The President said in order not to fall back into a crisis, the economic and political system of Sri Lanka must be created anew

* Tax revenue to be raised by 47.1% in 2024 * Rs 10,000 increase for public sector workers * Pensioners to get Rs 2,500 allowance * Rs. 450 bn reserved for bank recapitalization * Four new universities to be established * 20% of state banks to be given off by Saman Indrajith President Ranil Wickremesinghe, […]

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on Thursday approved $150 million in financing for Sri Lanka to strengthen the resilience of the financial sector. “Sri Lanka’s economic crisis highlights the need for strong safety nets to support the financial sector. Stable and reliable banking

‘2017 Foreign Exchange Act must be repealed’ By Shamindra Ferdinando President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Director General on Trade unions Saman Ratnapriya yesterday (08) denied what he called the Opposition’s unsubstantiated claim that sugar importers had benefited from the latest increase in the Special Commodity Levy from 25 cents per kg of sugar to Rs 50 per […]

The report by a Committee headed by Justice K.T. Chitrasiri to introduce a new Constitution to Sri Lanka Cricket through a parliamentary act was formally handed over to the Chairman of the Cabinet Sub-Committee appointed to resolve Sri Lanka Cricket issues, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry by President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake today (09) on […]

[…]The post Probing Polemic To Rip The Racist Rhetoric appeared first on Colombo Telegraph.

The Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association (SLAEA) participated in the 16th Global Textile and Apparel Supply Chain Conference held in Shanghai, China recently with a focus on innovation and the development of national high-end textile advanced manufacturing clusters. Representing Sri Lanka at the annual conference, President of SLAEA Indika Liyanahewage spoke on ‘Green dynamics and […]

By Jehan Perera With presidential elections due in less than a year, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has embarked upon a course of electoral reforms of major proportions, for which he has appointed a presidential commission of inquiry. He appears to have done so without consultations with opposition parties or civil society. Both these groups were caught […]

Monday 06th November, 2023 President Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Friday (03), flayed the western bloc for its double standards on human rights. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the opening of a new court complex in Welimada, he said that all nations had to abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He pointed out the […]

Friday 3rd November, 2023 The latest VAT hike has come as a double whammy for the public, who are reeling from extremely high taxes and tariffs, not to mention the soaring cost of living. The SLPP politicians seem to be deriving some perverse pleasure from the predicament of the people, who rose against them and […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, has said the Foreign Exchange Act No 12 of 2017, enacted during the Yahapalana administration was meant to facilitate the operations of those who exploited the system for their benefit. The new Act had repealed the Exchange Control Act of 1953, Dr. Rajapakshe said, adding that the Yahapalana  move […]

By Saman Indrajith The JVP yesterday said that it would stand by the position taken by the UN General Secretary António Guterres’ on the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine and the need of the hour was not to ascertain who started the latest round of atrocities but to find means to end the war […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando The economy was in such a precarious situation that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government couldn’t further delay the restoration of the relevant provisions of the 1953 Foreign Exchange Act to compel the private sector to bring back export proceeds, rebel SLPP MP Prof. G.L. Peiris said yesterday (30). Referring to a spate of declarations […]

Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa has said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe ought not to handle the country’s foreign policy the way he mismanaged the UNP Premadasa declared that as the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government’s foreign policy strategy was weak a review of policy couldn’t be delayed.SJB leader Premadasa was addressing a gathering at the Attanagalle Undugoda […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, MP, has stressed the pivotal importance of public protests against waste, corruption, irregularities and mismanagement.Alleging that those who had been entrusted with the task of governing the country have instead ruined it, Chairman of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Fonseka, on Thursday, said that every citizen should bear […]

Thursday 26th October, 2023 Some SLPP MPs are shedding copious tears for the public who are struggling to keep their heads above water. Prominent among them is former Minister Namal Rajapaksa, who is trying to absolve the SLPP of the blame for exponential increases in taxes and tariffs. Attributing the people’s economic woes to the […]