On 19th November, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $200 million policy-based loan to further help the Government of Sri Lanka strengthen its financial sector. This second subprogram of ADB’s Financial Sector Stability and Reforms Program builds on the stabilization and crisis management measures put in place under the first subprogram approved in 2023. “Sri…
The newly sworn-in Cabinet of the National People’s Power (NPP) comprises 22 ministers, including the President. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Education is a woman and the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs has also been assigned to a woman. Six ministers were appointed from the National List, while Gampaha district received three…
The person in the photo is Chanu Nimesha, Sri Lanka’s first openly transgender person who contests a parliamentary election. She represents the Socialist Party of Sri Lanka and contests for the Kegalle district. Chanu Nimesha was an activist of the #GotaGoHome campaign in 2022. “I will continue the fight, but in a different way,” Nimesha…
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ruled that two police officers, responsible for the arrest and detention of fisherman Nimal Chandrasiri in April 2012, must pay Rs. 125,000 each in personal funds, with the State contributing an additional Rs. 250,000. This Rs. 500,000 compensation is to be paid to the victim’s family for the…
The government has launched an inquiry into complaints from Samurdhi beneficiaries who report being unjustly excluded from the Aswesuma welfare benefits program, despite meeting the eligibility requirements. The Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, National Integration, Social Security, and Media confirmed that a significant number of previously eligible Samurdhi recipients have reportedly been…
There is a risk of halting the school nutrition program as the government has not made the payments to the suppliers for the free meals provided to the students in the primary classes from grade 1 to grade 5 in schools for almost two months. Principals and suppliers point out that at present such suppliers…
The National People’s Power (NPP) government is likely to retain the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA) without any amendments or repeal, despite prior promises made in their election manifesto. The manifesto pledged to reform the PTA, describing it as a law that had historically been misused and stating the NPP’s commitment to aligning…
Ajith Perakum Jayasinghe Currency notes issued by the National People’s Power (NPP) government, signed by Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe, are not yet in circulation. Then, is it false that the government printed Rs. 100 billion worth of currency? That’s correct; it’s a different process. No notes have actually been printed. Instead, money has been…
A significant 22% of Free Trade Zone workers did not cast their votes in the recent Presidential Election, according to the Free Trade Zone Workers’ Solidarity. This alarming figure has raised concerns that even more workers may abstain from voting in the upcoming Parliamentary Election if current barriers remain unaddressed. Sugath Rajapaksha, the coordinator of…
Former MP and leader of Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, Udaya Gammanpila, AAL, revealed the findings of the Committee of Inquiry into Intelligence Coordination and Investigative Processes Related to the Easter Sunday Bombings of April 21, 2019. The committee, chaired by retired High Court Judge A.N.J. de Alwis, was appointed by the President Ranil Wickramasinghe in June…
