Presidential Task Force appointed to steer post-Ditwah recovery and rebuilding

 President Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya

• Prime Minister to chair Task Force comprising Ministers, bureaucrats and private sector professionals

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has established a high-level Presidential Task Force to oversee Sri Lanka’s post-disaster rehabilitation, recovery, and reconstruction efforts following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah, according to an Extraordinary Gazette issued on Wednesday.

The World Bank has estimated initial damages at $ 4.1 billion and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates the total cost could reach $ 16 billion. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the Balance of Payments (BOP) deficit to widen by an additional $ 700 million and granted a $ 206 million Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI).

The Task Force has been constituted under Article 33 of the Constitution and is mandated to provide strategic leadership, inter-ministerial coordination, and oversight of all recovery initiatives under the Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ program, at a time when post-disaster financing, donor coordination, and fiscal discipline remain critical.

The Task Force will be chaired by Prime Minister and Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, with responsibility for guiding recovery priorities, resolving cross-ministerial issues, and overseeing major funding, rehabilitation, and reconstruction decisions.

Core Cabinet-level members of the Task Force include Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath; Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister A.H.M.H. Abayarathna; Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation Minister K.D. Lalkantha; Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Minister Upali Pannilage; Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunneththi; Transport, Highways and Urban Development Minister Bimal Rathnayake; and Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa.

Additional ministerial representation includes Labour Minister and Deputy Finance and Planning Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando; Environment Minister Patabendi Dammika; Housing, Construction and Water Supply Minister Susil Ranasinghe; Western Province Governor Hanif Yusoof; and Deputy Defence Minister Major General (Retd.) Aruna Jayasekera.

Senior officials appointed to the Task Force are Secretary to the President Nandika Sanath Kumanayake; Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ministry Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma; Defence Ministry Secretary Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) H.S.S. Thuyacontha; Commissioner General of Essential Services and Plantations and Community Infrastructure Ministry Secretary B.K. Prabath Chandrakeerthi; Senior Adviser to the President Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya; and Director General of Government Information H.S.K.J. Bandara.

The Task Force also includes Rohana Hettiarachchi, Malarmathi Gangadaran, President’s Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma, Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, Samantha de Silva, and Mandana Ismail.

According to the Gazette, the Task Force is mandated to provide overall direction and strategic decision-making across key rebuilding priorities, including restoration of basic services and healthcare, rehabilitation of critical infrastructure, revival of livelihoods and local economies, establishment of digital data and decision-support systems, and strengthening public communication and stakeholder engagement.

To operationalise these objectives, the Task Force has been authorised to appoint sector-specific sub-committees chaired by relevant Ministers, covering post-disaster needs assessment, restoration of public infrastructure, housing reconstruction, revival of local economies and livelihoods, restoration of social infrastructure, finance and funding, data and information systems, and public communication.

Of particular financial significance, the Committee on Finance and Funding will oversee mobilisation, allocationm and monitoring of resources under the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, which is to be formalised as a statutory fund in line with a prior Cabinet decision. Until then, the committee has been empowered to establish criteria for budgeting, fundraising, donor coordination, and transparent utilisation of funds within the existing fiscal policy framework.

The Task Force has been authorised to issue instructions, seek assistance from public officers, and submit periodic progress reports directly to the President. 

In the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, President Dissanayake appointed a public-private Management Committee for the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund to oversee the mobilisation and allocation of resources for reconstruction. It comprises the following: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Ministry Director General – Europe and North America Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, Senior Additional Secretary to the President G.M.R.D. Aponsu, Senior Adviser to the President Duminda Hulangamuwa, Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ministry Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Western Province Governor Hanif Yusoof, Labour Minister and Deputy Finance and Planning Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Hayleys Group Executive Chairman Mohan Pandithage, John Keells Holdings Chairperson/CEO Krishan Balendra, LOLC Executive Chairman Ishara Nanayakkara, Aitken Spence Deputy Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, and Brandix CEO Ashroff Omar.