In a bid to improve the state of affairs in Sri Lanka, 9 new ministers were sworn in on Friday by Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The appointment of the 9 ministers came a week after Gotabaya appointed a new prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa’s predecessor.
Two ministers, who took the oath to office today, are from the main opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya and the rest are from Rajapaksa’s party Podujana Peramuna. Former minister Nirmal Siripala de Silva and indepenent MPs Sushil Premajayantha, Wijayadasa Rajapaksha, Tiran Alles sworn in today.
In the first time in history, Sri Lanka defaulted on debt for the first time in its history. Central bank governor P Nandalal Weerasinghe addressed the situation and said that their situation is very clear. They said that until they come to restructure their debts, they will not be able to pay and termed it ‘pre-emptive default’.
Warning of food shortage in the country, Ranil Wickremesinghe tweeted on Thursday that while the ministry of Agriculture would take the lead, all MPs should unite to implement a programme to increase the cultivation of necessary crops and address the impending food shortage with appropriate mechanisms.
Meanwhile, Indian NSA Ajit Doval met Sri Lanka High Commissioner Milinda Moragoda and promised more help. A press statement issued by Sri Lankan High Commission said that the High Commissioner has requested for India’s assistance in garnering international support for economic recovery in Sri Lanka, to which the national security adviser responded positively.
