Price of an egg will rise to Rs 1000 if Sri Lanka fails to stabilize the economy, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. Mr. Wickremesinghe made this remark during his speech at an election rally in Hatton which he spoke both in lighter vein and with seriousness. However, he quickly turned serious when elaborating on the economy.

"Sri Lanka's primary account balance surplus is 0.6 percent currently but it has to be increased to 2.8 percent of the GDP. Also, the proposal of the NPP government to increase pay as you earn (PAYE) threshold to Rs 200,000 is hardly practical. What our government planned was to keep it at 150,000 in 2025. It is essential to stabilize the economy if not the price of an egg will go up to Rs 1000," he said.

A man at the rally was heard shouting eggs are expensive. Mr. Wickremesinghe who was speaking at that time said in a lighter vein that price of eggs have gone up as hens are against the NPP government.

Also he said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake should tender an apology to the estate community on behalf of his late leader Rohana Wijeweera who opposed granting citizenship to them. "It was a UNP government which granted citizenship to the estate sector in the 1980s. It was the JVP founder leader who opposed this move," Mr. Wickremesinghe said.

For the first time in Sri Lanka, the government is to establish a mechanism to supervise and advice ministries in the implementation of policies, a source said.

A tense situation was reported at the UNP party headquarters in Sirikotha when a group of UNP supporters arrived to hand over a document on reviving the party.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Harsha de Silva said today that an NPP MP has told him that the Parliament canteen will not be closed but the government will see that no one will abuse the facility.

Two fishermen were seriously injured and hospitalised after a parcel floating on the sea exploded while they were checking it off the coast of Mannar.

The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and the Examinations Department have initiated a joint programme to mitigate potential disasters during the 2024 Advanced Level examinations.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressed the inaugural session of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka today. Following are 11 key points from the President’s Government Policy Statement;

Speaker Dr. Ashoka Sapumal Ranwala informed Parliament that nomination of Sajith Premadasa, leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), has been accepted as the Opposition Leader of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka.

Jaffna District Independent MP Archuuna Ramanathan refused to move away after he sat on the Opposition Leader's seat inside the chambers despite requests by Parliament staff to move.

National People's Power (NPP) Gampaha MP Dr. Ashoka Sapumal Ranwala was elected as the Speaker of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka a short while ago. Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya proposed his name, and the nomination was confirmed by Vijitha Herath.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake adjourned the Sri Lankan Parliament until 9:30 a.m. on December 3. The adjournment followed the President’s delivery of the government’s policy statement during the inaugural session of the 10th Parliament earlier today.