In a blow to Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa govt, 3 MPs withdraw support
Colombo (PTI): Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is under pressure to resign, was dealt a further blow on Wednesday when three more parliamentarians withdrew their support to the government.
Earlier this month, 39 lawmakers out of 156 MPs pulled their support to Rajapaksa in the 225-member Parliament. The breakaway group, which sits independently, has declared not to align with any other coalition, including the Opposition.
The independent group demands the formation of an all-party interim government with the resignation of the Rajapaksa family from power.
Sri Lanka Muslim Council (SLMC) MP Faizal Cassim informed Parliament that he along with MPs Ishak Rahuman and M S Thowfeek will withdraw their support to the government.
The three MPs were part of the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) coalition, including from the SLMC. They had been Rajapaksa's allies since 2020 and voted for the controversial 20A which conferred absolute power on the President.
A heated exchange erupted on Wednesday morning when Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana denied a claim by main Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa that the Speaker told the party leaders that Rajapaksa was ready to resign if all party leaders requested him to do so.
Abeywardana, a member of the ruling coalition, said it was a misinterpretation by Premadasa.
However, the main Opposition leader stood by his statement calling Abeywardana a liar.
An extended public protest, which began near Rajapaksa's secretariat on April 9 demanding Rajapaksa's resignation, entered on its 12th day.
Sri Lanka is grappling with unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.
The island nation is witnessing large-scale protests against the government's handling of the debt-ridden economy - the worst-ever economic crisis in the country's history.
Protests demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his Sri Lanka Podujana (Peramuna)-led government have intensified as shortages continued and prices soared.
Last week, the Sri Lankan government said it would temporarily default on USD 35.5 billion in foreign debt as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine made it impossible to make payments to overseas creditors.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
