Sri Lanka’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared a state of emergency in the country which gives sweeping powers to the country’s security forces. This was declared after hundreds of citizens of the county tried to storm his house seething with anger over the economic crisis Sri Lanka is facing.

Overview:

• The tough laws that were invoked give powers to the military to detain and arrest any suspect without trial for long periods of time.
• The citizens of the country are protesting and calling for his resignation as the country is in turmoils.
• The nation is facing severe essential shortages, rice is prices, crippling power cuts, etc.
• In the country, a night-time curfew has been imposed following continuous protests against the President of the country.

Why was the emergency declared?

The emergency has been declared so that public order in the country can be maintained as well as the protection of services and supplies that are essential to the community.

The economic condition of the country

Inflation in the country has hit 18.7 percent. Food prices have soared by 30.1 percent. Diesel shortages have also sparked outrage across the country. Daily 13-hours of a power cut is being imposed as there is no diesel for running the generators. The state-run hospitals of the country are also facing shortages of life-saving medicines. The International Monetary Fund has been approached by the government while more loans have been asked for from India and China.

Reasons for the economic worsening of the country

Sri Lanka’s economic condition has taken a hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic, due to which the tourism industry, the country’s major source of income, has suffered a lot. Many economists believe that the crisis has increased due to mismanagement of the government and accumulation of borrowings.