Colombo: As fuel shortages continue to worsen, the Sri Lankan government has given two weeks’ work-away home to government employees. Sri Lanka is going through the worst crisis in seven decades. The country’s economy has been hit hard by a sharp fall in foreign exchange reserves. Oil imports were disrupted due to lack of cash. It is reported that petrol and diesel in stock will be depleted within days.
Along with the mismanagement of the government, the crisis created by the Kovid epidemic has devastated the country’s economy. This is the first time since independence from Britain in 1948 that the 2.2 crore people of Sri Lanka have experienced such a crisis. ” Due to fuel shortages, public transport services are seldom serviced. Private vehicles will not be allowed on the road as oil is scarce. That is why a section of employees have been instructed to stay home and work for two weeks, ”said the Sri Lankan Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs.
The circular also directed that out of the 10 lakh government employees, those working in the health sector, which is an essential service, should come directly to the offices. The government has reduced the number of working days to four this week as a temporary solution to the crisis. The Sri Lankan government is hoping to receive assistance from the International Monetary Fund on Monday. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was told yesterday that 50 lakh Sri Lankans would be directly affected by food shortages in the coming months.