‘900,000’ facing hunger in Lanka
32 freed
COLOMBO, March 13, (Agencies): The worst drought in five years has pushed 900,000 people in Sri Lanka into “acute food insecurity”, the World Food Programme (WFP) says.
An unpublished survey conducted by government agencies and relief organisations in February found that both food insecurity and debt were rising sharply among families hit by drought, the WFP office in Sri Lanka confirmed to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The country’s rice harvest could be the worst in 40 years, charity Save the Children predicted. The justcompleted harvest was 63 percent below normal, it said.
The survey found that over one third of the drought-affected households had seen their income drop by half since September and 60 percent of the households surveyed were in debt.
The average amount of debt was about 180,000 Sri Lankan rupees, or $1,200, WFP said.
The survey findings are expected to be formally released later this month.
Sri Lanka’s government said over 1.2 million people have been affected by the country’s current drought, which began last November and continues despite some occasional rainfall over the last two months.
Save the Children estimates that over 600,000 of those affected - two thirds of the total - are children.
The Western and Northern Provinces have been worst hit, with over 400,000 people struggling with drought in each province.
Government and WFP assessments suggest Sri Lanka’s 2017 rice harvest could be less than half the 3 million metric tons recorded last year.
According to WFP assessments the island needs 2.3 million metric tons of rice for annual consumption but the overall 2017 rice harvest is projected to yield just 1.44 metric tons.
The government has already taken steps to increase rice imports to stave off shortages, Disaster Management Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said.
Yapa
BJP sees bigger mandate:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party expects national elections in 2019 to deliver an even bigger mandate than in 2014, its leaders said on Sunday, buoyed by a thumping victory in the country’s most politically important state.
As well as winning Uttar Pradesh with the biggest majority for any party since 1977, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is moving closer to forming governments in at least two more of the five states that went to polls recently.
Federal Defence Minister Manohar Parikar will resign soon to lead the state government of Goa, BJP leaders told a news conference.
Afghan forces free 32:
Afghan special forces have freed up to 32 people, including four policemen, imprisoned by Taleban insurgents in the southern province of Helmand, the defence ministry said on Monday.
Swathes of Helmand are controlled by Taleban fighting to overthrow the United States-backed government in the capital, Kabul, and install a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Late on Sunday night, special forces launched the raid in a village in the district of Nad Ali, after gathering intelligence that the Taleban were holding dozens of civilians and security personnel, security officials in Helmand said.
Pak hosts women lawmakers:
Islamabad is hosting female lawmakers from 12 countries at a conference on the role of women in strengthening democracy.
Pakistanis Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter opened the threeday gathering on Monday.
Maryam Nawaz saluted the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus in Pakistan for taking the initiative for the venue. She says it’s high time to work for women’s empowerment for the betterment and development of societies.
Along with those from Pakistan, women lawmakers from Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Australia, Romania, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Maldives, Indonesia and Nepal are attending the event.
Pakistan to conduct survey:
Pakistan’s information minister says the country is set to launch a national census for the first time in 19 years.
Maryam Aurangzeb said told reporters Sunday that the census will start on March 15 and should be completed by May 15.
She appealed to citizens to cooperate and warned against giving false information. Pakistani army spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said that nearly 200,000 soldiers will help civilian staffers collect the door-to-door data.
Islamabad last conducted a census in 1998, which recorded a national population of approximately 180 million at that time. Analysts believe the figure has risen much higher, most probably crossing over 200 million.