On 24 May 2026, speaking at the opening of the NPP’s district office in Jaffna, General Secretary of the JVP Tilvin Silva made two linked claims: (a) money allocated in the previous budget for holding Provincial Council (PC) elections were reallocated to finance LKR 500 billion for Cyclone Ditwah recovery, and (b) therefore the election could not be held this year.

To check these claims, FactCheck.lk analysed the Constitution of Sri Lanka, Public Financial Management (PFM) Act No. 44 of 2024, Budget Estimates 2026, Supplementary Estimate 2026 and Supreme Court (SC) judgement SC.FR 69/2023.

Silva’s claim requires two propositions to be correct. First, that the funds allocated for Provincial Council elections were redirected towards Cyclone Ditwah recovery. Second, that this provides a valid basis for not holding the election this year.

On the first proposition, the available budget documents do not support Silva’s claim. The Budget Estimates 2026 allocated LKR five billion to the Election Commission for conducting elections. Separately, the Supplementary Estimate dated 19 December 2025 provided LKR 500 billion for Cyclone Ditwah recovery. However, the Supplementary Estimate identifies this LKR 500 billion as an “additional allocation.” This means that it was an allocation made in addition to the expenditure already approved through the 2026 Budget, and not a “reallocation” of the Election Commission’s election-related budget as stated by Mr. Silva.

On the second proposition, the legal position also does not support the claim that an election may be delayed merely on the basis of financial difficulty. The same argument was put forward by the executive branch of government in 2023 for delaying the local government elections and later adjudicated by the Supreme Court (SC) (See judgement SC.FR 69/2023). The Court held that ensuring the right to vote by the holding of elections is a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 14(1)(a); and that any action that restricted that fundamental right would be valid only if it was based on a constitutionally valid law adopted by parliament. The SC found that no existing law permitted the executive to postpone elections on the basis of financial difficulty. Neither did FactCheck.lk find any Act of Parliament, Emergency Regulation approved by Parliament, or other legally recognised instrument, since the decision of the court in 2023, that allows the postponement of PC elections on the basis of Cyclone Ditwah recovery expenditure.

Since this specific reasoning has been specifically adjudicated by the Supreme Court it is clear that even the executive cannot lawfully delay an election on the basis of lacking funds.

On that basis, Silva’s claim is incorrect on both grounds. First, the LKR 500 billion allocated for Cyclone Ditwah recovery was an additional allocation, not a diversion of the funds allocated to the Election Commission for the PC elections. Second, no legally recognised basis has been identified to conclude that the PC elections cannot be held this year due to financial constraints.

Therefore, we classify Silva’s statement as FALSE.

*FactCheck.lk’s verdict is based on the most recent information that is publicly accessible. As with every fact check, FactCheck.lk will revisit the assessment if new information becomes available.

FactCheck.lk is a platform run by Verité Research.

For more fact checks, visit our website at www.factcheck.lk.

Source:Dailymirror.lk

The central bank of Sri Lanka has organised a digital payments promotion in Jaffna to raise awareness among government officials, the business community, and members of the public.

This event is part of the nationwide campaign launched by CBSL in collaboration with financial institutions and other stakeholders.

“At this event, the public will be able to receive personalised assistance from financial institutions, including banks, finance companies and e-money service providers to register and effectively use a wide range of digital payment services” CBSL said.

The programme will be attended by CBSL officials, banks, non-bank financial institutions, and LankaPay, the operator of the national retail payment system.

Financial institutions together with LPPL will conduct a merchant engagement initiative in the Jaffna town area for business entities to obtain the LANKAQR payment acceptance facility.

“CBSL invites members of the public and the business community of Jaffna to take advantage of this opportunity to enhance their awareness and experience the conveniences of digital payments with the guidance and personalised assistance provided by the financial institutions.”

The event will be on August 7 and 8 at Cargills Square, Jaffna, from 8.30 am to 7 pm.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has met with the Foreign Secretary of the Government of India, Vikram Misri, and the accompanying delegation today (5) at Temple Trees.

According to the Prime Minister’s Media Division, the discussions focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation in the field of education, with particular attention given to Sri Lanka’s ongoing education reforms.

The Prime Minister briefed the delegation on the Government’s priorities in transforming the education sector, including initiatives to advance digital education and improve access to quality learning opportunities.

The meeting also explored opportunities to strengthen collaboration between higher education institutions in the two countries. Both sides exchanged views on expanding student exchange programmes, promoting joint research initiatives, and fostering greater academic cooperation, the statement said.

The discussions also highlighted on bilateral trade relations and opportunities to further enhance economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and India. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of deepening economic engagement for the mutual benefit of the two countries while also focusing on avenues to promote tourism and strengthen people-to-people ties between Sri Lanka and India, it added.

The meeting was attended by Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Prasanna Shrivastava, Joint Secretary, Maitrey Kulkarni, Deputy High Commissioner, Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Sagarika Bogahawatta, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.

Former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, widely known as Pillayan, who is being detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), was further remanded until August 18.

The order was issued after the suspect was produced before Batticaloa Magistrate Annathurai Darshini today via an online hearing.

Pillayan appeared before court virtually from Welisara Prison, while the first and second suspects appeared from Batticaloa Prison.

The case has been filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) against former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan and other suspects in connection with five murder incidents that allegedly took place in various parts of the Batticaloa District in 2008.