Economics

IMF’s Primary Deficit Focus Deepens Sri Lanka’s Debt Crisis: Analyst

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) stringent focus on an arbitrarily set primary balance target in Sri Lanka’s budget is exacerbating the country’s debt situation, warns an economic analyst. IMF Staff Mission Chief Peter Breuer emphasized the importance of achieving a 2.3 percent primary balance target of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in his recent review statement.

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Economics

135,000 Aswesuma Beneficiaries Miss Payments Due to Lack of Bank Accounts

More than 135,000 beneficiaries of Sri Lanka’s Aswesuma poverty alleviation program cannot receive their monthly payments due to not having bank accounts, a top government official has stated. Although the government has approved 1.8 million households as Aswesuma beneficiaries from last year’s applicants, around 200,000 beneficiaries have not received any benefits, according to the official.

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