Govt. disburses Rs. 18 b to 84% of Ditwah-hit households

 President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake

• Ditwah relief allowances to eligible households so far total Rs. 21.5 b 
• Allowances include Rs. 50,000 for essential household and kitchen equipment, Rs. 25,000 for cleaning and sanitation and Rs. 15,000 for students

The Government has disbursed Rs. 18 billion among households impacted by Cyclone Ditwah, which is 84% of Rs. 21.54 billion in total allowances allocated to eligible households. 

According to the President’s Media Division, 70% of the Rs. 50,000 allowance provided by the Government to assist families in purchasing essential household and kitchen equipment for resettlement following Cyclone Ditwah has already been paid.

A total of 156,805 families across 25 districts were identified as eligible to receive this allowance totalling Rs. 7.84 billion, of which payments have already been completed for 109,512 families, totalling Rs. 5.47 billion.

In the Nuwara Eliya District, all 1,191 eligible families have received the allowance in full. In the Matale District, 1,143 out of 1,253 eligible families have been paid, reflecting a progress rate of 91%. Meanwhile, in the Kandy District, payments have been made to 7,083 out of 8,409 eligible families, achieving a progress rate of 84%.

Payments of the Rs. 50,000 allowance have been fully completed for all eligible families identified in the districts of Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Ampara, Badulla, and Monaragala.

In the Mannar District, the disbursement of the Rs. 50,000 allowance has reached 98%, while 99% of eligible beneficiaries in the Mullaitivu District have already received the payment.

Payment progress has reached 91% in the Kurunegala District, 91% in the Anuradhapura District, 84% in the Ratnapura District, and 93% in the Kegalle District.

Meanwhile, the overall progress of disbursing the Rs. 25,000 allowance provided by the Government for post-disaster house cleaning and sanitation has reached 97%.

A total of 435,104 families across all 25 districts were identified as eligible for this allowance totalling Rs. 10.9 billion, of which payments have been fully completed to 422,900 families to date, amounting to Rs. 10.6 billion.

Accordingly, the Rs. 25,000 allowance has been fully disbursed to all eligible families in the Kalutara, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Hambantota, Kilinochchi, Ampara, Badulla, and Monaragala Districts.

The disbursement of the Rs. 25,000 allowance has reached 99% in the Kandy District. Progress stands at 95% in the Matale District, 88% in the Jaffna District, 94% in the Mannar District, 99% in the Vavuniya District, 98% in the Mullaitivu District, 98% in the Batticaloa District, and 98% in the Trincomalee District. In addition, payments have been completed for 98% of eligible beneficiaries in the Kurunegala and Anuradhapura Districts, 97% in the Puttalam and Polonnaruwa Districts, 99% in the Ratnapura District, and 90% in the Kegalle District.

Meanwhile, the Rs. 15,000 allowance provided by the Government for school students from families affected by the disaster has been fully disbursed to 73% of the targeted beneficiaries. In addition, the Rs. 10,000 allowance from the President’s Fund is currently being distributed.

A total of 186,893 students across all 25 districts of the country were identified as eligible for the Rs. 15,000 allowance totalling Rs. 2.8 billion, and payments have already been completed to 136,994 students amounting to Rs. 2.05 billion.

The Government is taking swift measures to ensure that the remaining allowances are distributed promptly, with State machinery strengthened to facilitate the process.

Furthermore, under the Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Ministry, information regarding 6,370 registered business owners affected by Cyclone Ditwah is currently being verified. For the one-time allowance of Rs. 200,000, funds amounting to Rs. 1 billion have been allocated by the Ministry to the District Secretariat offices to facilitate payments to 5,034 eligible applicants.

Under the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ program, the Project 5M initiative for providing compensation and constructing new houses for completely damaged homes was launched on 9 January, under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, starting in the Anuradhapura and Kurunegala Districts.

Under the first phase of the housing reconstruction program for those who lost their homes due to Cyclone Ditwah, new houses are being constructed for families whose homes were completely destroyed and can be rebuilt at the same location, with an allocated cost of Rs. 5 million per house.

In addition, the Government has initiated efforts to identify suitable land for families whose original homes were deemed unsafe for reconstruction, ensuring they are provided with new housing.

Meanwhile, as part of the nationwide ‘A Place to Belong – A Better Life’ National Housing Program 2026, the construction of 31,218 new houses across the country, including 2,500 homes for families displaced by the war in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, was launched recently in Jaffna under the leadership of the President.

The disbursement of relief funds to farmers for crop damage is currently being carried out efficiently, while accurate data on destroyed livestock farms is being collected to determine the appropriate compensation amounts.

The President has consistently emphasised the need to restore the livelihoods of affected communities to a standard higher than their pre-disaster conditions. In line with this directive, the Government is successfully implementing a well-planned and managed program to provide the largest ever relief payouts in the country’s history following a natural disaster.