Sri Lanka’s president to present relief budget amid crisis

By KRISHAN FRANCIS and BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s government plans to present an amended budget for the year that slashes expenses and aims to provide relief to people hit hard by an economic meltdown. President Ranil Wickremesinghe will present the budget in Parliament, which will voted on it after a debate. The government is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund to rescue Sri Lanka from its economic crisis. The government is also preparing to negotiate a restructuring of loans. Sri Lankans have faced acute shortages of essentials like fuel, medicine, and cooking gas for months. Some have eased in recent weeks with World Bank support and quotas. An IMF delegation is expected to conclude its visit Wednesday and the government hopes to have a preliminary agreement by then.