Sri Lanka is confident of receiving the next tranche of the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility. Speaking exclusively to our special correspondent after participating in the International Day of Yoga programme at Colombo, Sri Lanka’s Minister for Labour, Prof. A. Anil Jayantha Fernando, said that the island nation has met all required criteria under the IMF programme. Elaborating on the recovery of the economy, the minister added that during the recent meeting of the IMF’s First Deputy Managing Director, Gita Gopinath, with President Anura Dissanayake, it was announced that this will be Sri Lanka’s last extended fund facility programme. Mr. Fernando also said that the economy grew by 4.8 per cent in the first quarter of this year, out of which the industry sector witnessed a growth of 10 per cent.

Sri Lanka faced its worst-ever economic crisis in 2022 when it suspended its external debt commitments, after which India came to the rescue with an unprecedented assistance of over 4.5 billion dollars.