The President’s Media Division (PMD) says 70% of the Rs. 50,000 allowance approved by the government to help families affected by Cyclone Ditwah purchase kitchen appliances for resettlement has been paid so far.
According to figures released by the PMD, 109,512 of the 156,805 eligible families across 25 districts have received the allowance. Full disbursement has been completed in Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Ampara, Badulla and Monaragala districts, while progress in most other districts exceeds 90%.
Payment of the Rs. 25,000 house-cleaning allowance has reached 97%, with 422,900 of the 435,104 eligible families already paid. Several districts, including Kalutara, Nuwara Eliya, Galle and Hambantota, have completed full payments.
The Rs. 15,000 allowance for school students from disaster-affected families has reached 73%, benefiting 136,994 of the 186,893 selected students. An additional Rs. 10,000 allowance from the President’s Fund is also currently being distributed.
Relief for affected businesses is also underway, with Rs. 1.0068 billion released to District Secretariats to provide a one-time Rs. 200,000 allowance to 5,034 small and medium-scale enterprise owners impacted by the cyclone.
Housing reconstruction has commenced under the “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” program. The Project 5M initiative, launched on January 9 in Anuradhapura and Kurunegala, aims to build new houses costing Rs. 5 million each for families whose homes were completely destroyed. Land identification is also ongoing for families requiring relocation.
Compensation for crop damage and livestock losses is being processed, while state mechanisms have been strengthened to complete outstanding payments and ensure post-disaster recovery efforts improve living standards beyond pre-cyclone conditions, the PMD said. (NewsWire)