A businessman who started a philanthropic program in schools with the government reported that students take home part of their lunch for their hungry parents. Malnutrition in rural areas risks becoming a very serious problem if action is not taken immediately. The experts will present a plan to stabilize the economy.
Colombo () – The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has brought to light dramatic stories of malnutrition and food insecurity, especially among low-income families in rural areas. A well-known member of the business world, who is carrying out a corporate social responsibility project in rural schools, anonymously told a heartbreaking story: “A school principal asked me if we could increase the content of the food ration he we provide them and he explained to me that many children eat only half the ration and take the rest home to feed their hungry mothers.In fact in many areas of Sri Lanka mothers go hungry to feed their children but now the situation has been reversed.”
The current government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe has recently launched some initiatives to ensure that school-age children can at least have lunch. If until recently students dropped out of school due to the precariousness of their families, now they return to class thanks to the implementation of these programs.
“More than 600,000 workers in the construction sector have lost their jobs and small and medium-sized companies have closed due to the recession. As a result, malnutrition has spread to almost unbearable levels in rural areas,” explained an economist. “Therefore, it is necessary to find solutions to food insecurity and provide food to school and preschool-age children from low-income families, because child malnutrition is not a problem that can be postponed, but a devastating tragedy.”
Sri Lanka’s gross domestic product is projected to contract by 9.2% in 2022 and a further 4.2% in 2023, while the contraction in the first half of 2022 is estimated to have been 4.8% year-on-year , according to data from the Census and Statistics Department.
In the coming weeks, on the other hand, a group of experts will present a road map and a work plan for a new strategy in the short, medium and long term, in order to resume the course towards economic stability. A team of government officials and high-level economic analysts is working on the initiative.
“The Secretariat of the Presidency will also implement a new social economic market system with a strong safety net for the poor and disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, while strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises. The plan has been formulated in accordance with Wickremesinghe’s vision and with the approval of Parliament, and should remain unchanged for the next 25 years,” some government officials told .
“The main objective of this policy is to create a budget surplus by 2025 and bring the economic growth rate to a stable level, to reduce public debt to a level below 100% of GDP by 2032. Now it is worth almost 140%.”
