Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils, and Local Government said that the program to allow public servants to work from home will commence next week.

This aims to reduce fuel and electricity consumption in the country as the government is grappling with an acute foreign exchange shortage.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in Parliament that sourcing fuel and gas for the next three weeks would be "extremely challenging".

Meanwhile, a separate programme has been launched to encourage the public to begin cultivation in their own areas as the country is heading for an acute food crisis in two months.