Sri Lanka gives public workers extra day off to grow food June 14, 2022 Sri Lanka gives public sector workers an extra day off to grow food<br /> June 14, 2022 Creation time: 01:41 PM Last update: 01:41 PM Views: 49 Colombo, June 14 (BNA) Today, Tuesday, the Sri Lankan government said it has approved a four-day work week for public sector workers to help them cope with chronic fuel shortages and encourage them to grow food crops. decades-old crisis. The island nation, which employs about a million people in its public sector, has been hit by a severe shortage of foreign exchange, leaving it struggling to pay for critical imports of fuel, food and medicine, Reuters reported. Many of the country’s 22 million residents have been queuing at petrol stations for hours and suffering from months of blackouts. Sri Lanka’s cabinet late Monday approved a proposal to give public sector workers leave every Friday for the next three months, in part because fuel shortages have made commuting difficult and also to encourage them to farm. “It seems appropriate to grant government officials one working day leave… to engage in agricultural activities in their yards or elsewhere as a solution to the anticipated food shortage,” the government media office said in a statement. The United Nations last week warned of a looming humanitarian crisis and plans to provide $47 million to help more than one million vulnerable people. A devaluation of the currency, higher global commodity prices and a now opposite policy of banning chemical fertilizers pushed food inflation to 57% in April. The government is in talks on a rescue package with the International Monetary Fund and a delegation is expected to arrive in Colombo on June 20. Announcement Scroll to continueSecretary of State Anthony Blinken, after a phone call with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, late on Monday, said the United States was also ready to help. “During these difficult economic and political times, the United States stands ready to work with Sri Lanka, in close coordination with the International Monetary Fund and the international community,” Blinken said on Twitter. Wickremesinghe said this month that Sri Lanka needs at least $5 billion to meet basic imports for the rest of the year. Source link Related READ MORE Months after pledge, India yet to submit emissions targets
June 14, 2022 Creation time: 01:41 PM Last update: 01:41 PM Views: 49 Colombo, June 14 (BNA) Today, Tuesday, the Sri Lankan government said it has approved a four-day work week for public sector workers to help them cope with chronic fuel shortages and encourage them to grow food crops. decades-old crisis. The island nation, which employs about a million people in its public sector, has been hit by a severe shortage of foreign exchange, leaving it struggling to pay for critical imports of fuel, food and medicine, Reuters reported. Many of the country’s 22 million residents have been queuing at petrol stations for hours and suffering from months of blackouts. Sri Lanka’s cabinet late Monday approved a proposal to give public sector workers leave every Friday for the next three months, in part because fuel shortages have made commuting difficult and also to encourage them to farm. “It seems appropriate to grant government officials one working day leave… to engage in agricultural activities in their yards or elsewhere as a solution to the anticipated food shortage,” the government media office said in a statement. The United Nations last week warned of a looming humanitarian crisis and plans to provide $47 million to help more than one million vulnerable people. A devaluation of the currency, higher global commodity prices and a now opposite policy of banning chemical fertilizers pushed food inflation to 57% in April. The government is in talks on a rescue package with the International Monetary Fund and a delegation is expected to arrive in Colombo on June 20. Announcement Scroll to continueSecretary of State Anthony Blinken, after a phone call with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, late on Monday, said the United States was also ready to help. “During these difficult economic and political times, the United States stands ready to work with Sri Lanka, in close coordination with the International Monetary Fund and the international community,” Blinken said on Twitter. Wickremesinghe said this month that Sri Lanka needs at least $5 billion to meet basic imports for the rest of the year.
