The crisis in Sri Lanka, which is under China’s debt, does not seem to have an end. Inflation is running at 57% , and due to the economic crisis, there is severe shortage of food items, along with fuel and medicines. Because of this, Sri Lanka is now forced to compromise on its security. The country will now reduce the force of the current 2 lakh soldiers by 1/3rd, and it will maintain only around 1.35 lakh soldiers. Not only this but by 2030, the number of soldiers will be further reduced to merely a lakh.
Nevertheless, regarding this matter, the government has said that the country is preparing a technically and strategically strong and balanced armed force with this step of cut down. Sri Lanka will also cut its annual budget by 6% as a solution to overcome this crisis. In the meanwhile, the country has received great relief with the visit of Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. With his arrival in Colombo, the path to Sri Lanka receiving a loan from the International Monetary Fund has become clear.
On the other hand, sources of the Sri Lankan government have said that China has come under pressure with Jaishankar’s visit, and even China has now taken a step towards providing relief to Sri Lanka.
Due to the crisis in the country, a gloomy picture of the ground reality has emerged. Students at schools are not receiving food, and schools are asking parents not to send their children to schools on an empty stomach or without a lunch box. On the other hand, pregnant women in the country are also not receiving proper diets and 10% of the country’s pregnant women are malnourished. Let alone nutritious diets, they are not even receiving two square meals a day.
The situation of patients in the country is no better as there is a shortage of medicines for people who are suffering from even such critical ailments like cancer. Basic medicines like paracetamols, vitamin-C, and saline are also not available in the OPDs. Expert services like cancer and eye hospitals are running on donations.
