That excludes the borrowings for Hambantota port etc.

By that year, the total debt stood at Rs. 7,390 b, but it has now risen to Rs. 10,286 b.

Sixty one pc of the debt that remains to be paid back was borrowed during the period from J.R. Jayewardena to Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The budget 2018 proposes to allocate Rs. 1,970 to repay the loans and the interest attached.