As Sri Lanka struggles with outstanding foreign debt, rural households across the country have been living off borrowings after exhausting their savings. Also read | In Sri Lanka’s rice hub, a tale of rural neglect and mounting debtIn Sri Lanka, though, the novel coronavirus didn’t seem all that deadly, going by the official data. To date, Sri Lanka has reported 11 deaths and fewer than 3,000 cases, of which only 127 are active. Sri Lanka has also sought emergency financial support from the International Monetary Fund, under its Rapid Credit Facility. The thrust, aligned to the ruling party’s nationalist, populist election plank, is not new to Sri Lanka.

Source: The Hindu August 21, 2020 18:45 UTC