PM informs Parliament USD 160 mn received from World Bank

By Saman Indrajith

The World Bank had provided USD 160 million to Sri Lanka and discussions were underway to consider if the funds could be used for petroleum purchases, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday.

Responding to a question raised by SJB MP Dr Harsha de Silva, the Prime Minister said:

“160 million dollars has been received from the World Bank and a grant from the ADB (Asian Development Bank) is also expected.”

He said the money received from the World Bank could not be used to buy fuel.

“We are trying to see if we can use some of it for fuel purchases,” he said.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said that the Asian Development Bank was also set to provide funds similar to the amount received from the World Bank.

The funds from the ADB had been delayed as Sri Lanka had failed to settle a repayment of USD 3 million, he said.

The Prime Minister also revealed that Sri Lanka did not even have USD one million to repay its debts at present.

He also said that certain statistics were missing or were incorrect.

A statement on the matter would be issued in the coming week, he said.

The Prime Minister also reiterated his calls for all parties to work together to resolve various issues faced by the public.

He said that a shortage of 14 essential medicines including those for diabetes and heart ailments, had been reported as of now.