WEB DESK
Sri Lankans will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Independence on the 4th of February. The Security Forces and the police have commenced rehearsals for the Independence Day Parade since Saturday at the Galle Face Green. In line with President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s instructions, the ceremony will be held with the usual pomp and pageantry but at a minimal cost.
In addition, a special religious programme will be held at the sacred temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy. Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremasinghe told Parliament last week that if the occasion is not celebrated, it will have a negative impact. He added that the expenditure will be cut down and kept at a minimum.
The island nation has been in the midst of its worst-ever economic crisis since its Independence in 1948. Sri Lanka has been making efforts to obtain a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). So far, India has been the only creditor to have given financing assurances to IMF which are a requirement for funding from the global lender. India also extended generous assistance of four billion dollars last year to help Sri Lanka stay afloat.