Prospects of an economic rebound in South Asia are firming up as growth is set to increase by 7.2 percent in 2021 and 4.4 percent in 2022, climbing from historic lows in 2020 and putting the region on a path to recovery.

It is the oceans that engendered life. The lives of humans remain connected to the seas, making the good health of the seas and the efficient management of sea-based activity essential elements for the wellbeing of people and nations.

Jayantha Basnayake, Director –Health, Safety & Environment- Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. in this interview speaks about key HSE functions at Litro Gas, its impact on the company, community, customers and all stakeholders, global parameters on safety in the

Recently, the government announced a plan to obtain the services of a foreign constancy firm to promote foreign direct investment (FDI).

The substantial health and economic costs of tobacco consumption are well recognised. Tobacco use increases a household’s expenses, diverting a family’s limited resources away from basic needs such as health and education.

The Research Intelligence Unit (RIU) has been conducting ongoing research into the growth of illicit markets in Sri Lanka as they represent the biggest sources of revenue leakage for the government. Herein some insights shared from the most recent re

Currently in Sri Lanka, there is a host of criticism about the direct selling industry, resulting in conflicts between people. Are these direct selling companies genuine?

This year, the International Day of Forests is marked under the apt theme ‘Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being’. Forest restoration is one of the priority areas for mitigating the effects of climate change.

Collaboration, cooperation, consensus – these words are seldom used when describing the interactions of the eight sovereign nations that make up South Asia. For a variety of reasons, South Asia is considered the least integrated region in the world

With the vaccines against the coronavirus gaining momentum in Sri Lanka and across the globe, Fits Aviation (Pvt.) Limited (FitsAir), Sri Lanka’s sole private sector-owned airline with operations in both cargo and passenger segments, eyes major exp

Sunimalee Madurawala is a Research Economist at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS). Her research interests include health economics, gender and population studies. Madurawala holds a BA (Economics Special), with First Class Honours an

Raw turmeric roots on the shelves of roadside vendors is a frequent sight nowadays. Thanks to the import controls, turmeric now fetches a higher price domestically; prices having soared by as much as 275 percent from Rs. 80 per kilo to Rs. 300 per ki

Despite robust growth and reduced poverty, female labour force participation in Sri Lanka remains at a low 36 percent compared to 75 percent for men —and below international standards.

EY has announced 14 female business leaders selected for the Asia-Pacific class of the 2021 EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women — a programme designed to support women entrepreneurs to become global market leaders and to scale their businesses to reac

Having spent our childhood with Asterix comics, we were not really surprised in encountering our own Getafix (‘Veda Pappa’ in Sinhalised version) in the form of a house constructor turned medic in Kegalle, offering us magic portion in quarter lit

Sri Lanka’s thriving tech industry has proved time and again that it is not about only rising to the top but also taking as many companies as possible up that growth trajectory.

The COVID-19 pandemic which was first reported in Sri Lanka in January 2020 has distressed the country’s labour market. According to the Department of Census and Statistics, with the onset of the pandemic, the labour force participation has decreas

The advent of a locally manufactured tobacco-free cinnamon cigarette into the market stirred much interest and controversy in recent weeks.

It is aptly said that when a woman becomes financially independent she sets off a chain reaction of positive outcomes within her family and wider community. In my long journey of working with women right from the grassroots right up to the higher cor

The first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) is to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere” by 2030. While achieving the goal of zero poverty is a lofty goal for any government, it is profoundly more so for those of developing countries.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) is a composite index that measures the extent of gender-based gaps in and among countries and tracks progress towards reducing these gaps over time. See Box 1 on calculation of the Gender Ga

Recently Central Bank Governor Prof. W.D. Lakshman at a media briefing stated that Sri Lanka was following a market-oriented economy with state guidance, involving some controls and restrictions. He was quoted as saying that such a framework would no

With the recent events unfolding in Sri Lanka, it’s high time that the corporate leaders and thought leaders of the Sri Lankan society take a stand on the gender discrimination that is happening right before our very own eyes. The elephant in the r

The import ban imposed by the government was a bitter pill to swallow for many but certain sections of the economy did stand to benefit from the move, as it provided an elevated platform to perform better.

It is rather unusual for trade union leaders to speak geopolitics.

Newly elected chief of the Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters’ Association (SLAEA) Aroon Hidramani spoke to Mirror Business recently on how the country’s apparel sector is gearing up to tackle 2021 after a tumultuous year marred by a global pandemic.

Two thousand twenty-one will be a difficult year. For most economies – not just for Sri Lanka. One does not have to be a macroeconomist to predict that. This year carries a legacy from 2020 that has brought unprecedented economic shocks as the cons

Two thousand twenty-one—it’s finally here! I think we can all agree that the last year was both the longest and fastest year ever. One thing we will all remember from 2020 is how work and life collided and converged in an unprecedented way, makin

The Sri Lankan authorities have been able to achieve stable macro-economic indicators despite the severe economic dislocation caused by the pandemic. Inflation has remained well within the 4-6 percent target range and the improvement of the trade def

International migrants have historically been a driving force of the Sri Lankan economy and during the COVID-19 pandemic their remittances have helped boost the country’s foreign exchange earnings.