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Financial assistance for students affected by elephant intrusions

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The Board of Governors of the President’s Fund convened under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Disanayake, has decided to provide financial assistance as an encouragement to ensure the uninterrupted education of children from families affected by daily incidents of elephant intrusions into their villages.

Priority will be given to families who have lost a member or have individuals injured due to elephant intrusions. Additionally, children from families that have suffered property or crop damages as a result of such incidents will also be eligible to apply for this assistance.

Eligibility for this financial assistance will be determined based on the observations of the respective Divisional Secretaries. Families must have children pursuing education from Grade 1 up to the G.C.E. Ordinary Level or Advanced Level to qualify.

The support will be extended to families affected by elephant intrusions on or after January 1, 2025. However, children who are already beneficiaries of the G.C.E. Advanced Level scholarship programme currently implemented under the President’s Fund will not be eligible for this assistance.

Under this initiative, selected students from Grade 1 to Grade 11 will receive a monthly allowance of LKR 3,000 for a maximum period of 12 months, while selected students in Grades 12 and 13 will receive LKR 5,000 per month for the same duration. The financial assistance is expected to be disbursed starting from April 1, 2025.

Accordingly, all Divisional Secretaries have been informed to collect details of eligible children within their divisions, conduct personal assessments and submit the relevant applications, along with their recommendations, to the Secretary of the President’s Fund without delay.

(President’s Media Division)

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IMF grants waivers despite obligation breach & erred reporting

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The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reviewed non complying purchases made by Sri Lanka under the 2023 Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) as well as inaccuracies of information reported to the IMF.

However, the IMF has decided to grant waivers and not pursue further action, citing corrective measures and a commitment to reform by Sri Lankan authorities.

Following the Executive Board’s discussion, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair – Mr. Kenji Okamura, has issued the following statement:

“The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reviewed non complying purchases made by Sri Lanka under the 2023 Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (“EFF”), as well as a breach of obligations under Article VIII, Section 5. The noncomplying purchases arose as a result of the provision of inaccurate information by the authorities on the stock of expenditure arrears at the first, second, and third reviews under the EFF.

“The inaccuracies in information provided to the IMF were inadvertent and arose because of weaknesses in the timely reporting of arrears by line ministries to the Ministry of Finance, as well as a misunderstanding by the authorities of the definition of “arrears” under the Technical Memorandum of Understanding. 

“The Executive Board positively considered the authorities’ corrective actions, the fact that arrears repayments will be accommodated within the existing fiscal envelope, and the authorities’ commitment to improving public financial management procedures in line with the new PFM law, to reduce the risk of accruing arrears or inaccurate reporting of information going forward. In view of the above, the Executive Board agreed to grant waivers for the nonobservances of the quantitative performance criterion that gave rise to the noncomplying purchases and decided not to require further action in connection with the breach of obligations under Article VIII, Section 5.”

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Abdul Wazeeth appointed to Parliament from SLMC national list

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Abdul Wazeeth of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has been appointed as a Member of Parliament, the National Election Commission has announced.

His appointment comes following the resignation of former MP M. S. Naleem, who had entered Parliament through the SLMC National List after the 2024 parliamentary election.

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Tense situation in Kahawatta as residents clash with police

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Police had been compelled to use tear gas to control a tense situation that erupted between residents and police in Kahawatta following the funeral of a youth who was shot dead recently.

The funeral was held today (July 03) and the clash had broken out shortly afterwards.

Residents had expressed anger over the handling of the and had hurled stones at the police, reports say.

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