The Budget assumes significance, coming amid a devastating global pandemic. Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves are under enormous strain in the wake of mounting external debt — the government recently repaid $4.2 billion for this year — while its export and tourism sectors, and worker remittances from abroad, have been severely impacted. Meanwhile, the plight of Sri Lanka’s working people has come to the fore. It is essential to allocate money to provide these workers with a cash assistance and essential goods in these bleak times.”It is not just the garment sector workers who are worried. The over 100,000 workers in tea estates, another vital, foreign exchange- earning sector, are faced with heightened poverty and uncertainty since the pandemic hit.

Source: The Hindu November 16, 2020 16:30 UTC