Govt. to request rebuilding assistance from intl. organizations

The Government has decided to meet with international organisations including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the United Nations next week to apprise them of the flood situation and request additional funds needed for rebuilding, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement yesterday. 

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is currently in the US, had received an update on the flood situation and instructed his staff to release resources to assist hundreds of thousands of displaced people.  The Prime Minister will receive a comprehensive report on flood damages on 15 June and more recovery plans are expected to be announced then.  

Prime Minister Ranil Wickreme-singhe has appointed a special committee to oversee the provision of relief to the flood victims, as well as to expedite renovations and rebuilding the economies of the affected regions in order to ensure that the citizens return to their daily lives.

Ministers Malik Samarawi-ckrema, Kabir Hashim, Mangala Samaraweera, Navin Dissanayake and relevant government officials and local businesses form part of this elite committee, according to the Premier.

The Prime Minister has instructed the Central Bank to commence banking operations as soon as possible in order to resume businesses in these regions, thereby promoting the restoration of the economy again.

The Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Development Assignments are in the process of developing plans with regards to obtaining foreign aid, funding from the public sectors and Non-Governmental Organisations, the Premier said in a statement.

The Cabinet of Ministers has decided to appoint a Cabinet Subcommittee to obtain allocations required for proposed redevelopments by reprioritising allocations made in Budget 2017 for development projects and other matters and to make recommendations on a suitable method for rehabilitation of damaged buildings and other capital assets.

The Cabinet Subcommittee will comprise ministers Mangala Samaraweera, Ravi Karunanayake and Kabir Hashim.