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‘Lankan food crisis is taking a turn for the worse’
More than one half of Sri Lanka’s population, currently making use of food-based coping strategies and livelihood coping strategies since they do not have enough food or money to buy food, are likely to “resort to means that will have a higher negative impact on their medium long-term capacity to generate income,” says a UN report.
The report, titled ‘Sri Lanka: Multi-dimensional crisis -Humanitarian needs and priorities JUNE – DEC 2022’ by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on behalf of Humanitarian Country Team and partners, says that an estimated 13.5 million, or 61.1 per cent of the population, are using food-based coping strategies, and 47.7 per cent of households use livelihood coping strategies.
The food and livelihood coping strategies being adopted in response to the situation by the Lankans include cutting the number of meals consumed in a day, reducing meal sizes, spending savings, and purchasing food on credit, says the report originally published on Nov 8, 2022.
“About 5.3 million people, or 24 per cent of population, are reducing the number of meals, and the same percentage of the population are reducing adults’ consumption so that children can eat, with women being the last to eat in the household. The proportion of households with unacceptable diets is ten times higher compared to the end of 2021. About 8.7 million people in the country are reported as not consuming adequate diets; nearly 32.2 per cent of these households are in urban areas. The livelihood-based coping strategies that households are resorting to include spending savings, selling productive assets, reducing essential healthcare expenses, withdrawing kids from school, buying food on credit, borrowing money or pawning jewels. Once these least severe strategies are exhausted, households would likely resort to means that will have a higher negative impact on their medium long-term capacity to generate income and their food security. Informal income earners, unskilled casual laborers, and those who do not have home gardens or livestock are among the most vulnerable to food insecurity,” says the report.
It says: With the reduction in domestic agricultural production during the Yala 2022 season, the prices of food are expected to increase further and reliance on imported food will intensify. This, in turn, would continue to drive a severe reduction of food availability and food access, with negative effects on food and nutrition security during the upcoming lean season, which starts in October 2022. Unless there is a significant turnaround on field cultivation and intensified agricultural support is mobilized, the upcoming Maha 2022/2023 season will remain a challenge. Without a solid domestic production base, food insecurity will likely continue and those who will suffer the most are the poor and already vulnerable families.
“Prices of most commodities have increased considerably since the end of 2021, and food inflation was measured at 94.9 per cent in September 2022 compared to a year before, a further increase from 93.7 per cent in August. Based on the recently concluded Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission by WFP and FAO, nationally, 6.3 million people, or 28 per cent of the population, are found to be moderately or severely food insecure. Of particular concern are 66,000 people who are severely acute food insecure, 18,000 of whom are living in the estate sector such as tea plantations. In total, 57.1 per cent of severely insecure people in the country are in the estate sector, and 41.6 per cent in the Central Province. Characteristics most strongly associated with moderately food insecure households include female-headed households (at 39.8 per cent), heads of household with no education (at 43.1 per cent), households of Indian Tamil ethnicity (at 50.3 per cent) and beneficiaries of the Samurdi programme (at 41.3 per cent). A slightly different set of characteristics are associated with severe acute food insecurity, which include the estate sector (at 2 per cent), high dependency ratio11 (at 2.3 per cent), “assistance” as the main source of income (at 1.4 per cent) and having at least one member living in the household with a disability12 (at 1.2 per cent).”
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
