Labour Minister proposes to cabinet to pay at least Rs. 240 per dollar
04 Mar 2022 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A request will be submitted to the next cabinet meeting requesting to pay at least Rs.240 per dollar for remittances sent to Sri Lanka by foreign workers, Labour Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said.
In the Sinhala-Hindu New Year, many Sri Lankan foreign workers used to send more money for their families for their expenses.
"With the current dollar crunch in the country, many foreign workers used to send their money home through illegally means. Due to that, the foreign reserves of the country have been greatly affected," he said.
Expatriate workers will be able to send their money to Sri Lanka through local banks if they pay at least Rs. 240 per US$, the Minister said.
As a solution to this, the Minister is to propose the Cabinet to increase the current incentive allowance of Rs. 10 rupees per dollar by another Rs.30.
Therefore, The Finance Ministry in collaboration with the State Banks and Commercial Banks is to to formulate a formal programme to facilitate the remittance of dollars to the benefit of foreign workers as well as the local economy. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)
