Dialog commits Rs. 420 m to Rebuilding Sri Lanka fund after Cyclone Ditwah

From left: Prime Minister’s Office Additional Secretary – Development A.B.M. Ashraff, Dialog Axiata Group Chief Corporate Officer Asanga Priyadarshana, Health Ministry Additional Secretary – Medical Services Dr. Kumara Wickramasinghe, Health and Mass Media Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa, Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Digital Economy Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne, Dialog Axiata Director/Group Chief Executive Supun Weerasinghe, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Digital Economy Ministry Acting Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala, Dialog Axiata Group Chief Marketing Officer Lasantha Thevarapperuma, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka Director General Air Vice Marshal Bandula Herath (Retd.) 

Dialog Axiata PLC has committed LKR 420 million in support of the Government’s Rebuilding Sri Lanka initiative, aimed at accelerating recovery in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. The commitment will support critical recovery efforts across healthcare and education benefiting communities in affected regions. These include the restoration and upgrading of essential hospital infrastructure and the refurbishment of ICT facilities in affected schools, in collaboration with relevant authorities.

The commitment was formalised at a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office, in the presence of Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Digital Economy Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne, Secretaries to the relevant Ministries; senior Government officials; and senior representatives of Dialog. The discussions focused on the collaborative framework for the implementation of the proposed education and healthcare initiatives in alignment with national priorities.

In the healthcare sector, Dialog will partner with the Health Ministry to support the restoration and upgrading of critical hospital infrastructure at Chilaw District General Hospital, Divisional Hospital Kotmale, Divisional Hospital Madulkele, and Base Hospital Puttalam. In the education sector, Dialog will work with the Ministry of Education to refurbish computer laboratories in over 20 cyclone-affected schools, restoring ICT infrastructure and connectivity to support continued learning. 

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said, “Public–private partnerships play a critical role in advancing national priorities, particularly during periods of recovery following a disaster of this scale. The Government appreciates Dialog’s strong commitment to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka initiative, which will support the restoration of essential services and strengthen preparedness for the future. As Minister of Education, I also recognise the importance of restoring digital access and learning continuity for students affected by the cyclone. Such collaborations are vital to ensuring meaningful, long-term outcomes for affected communities.” 

Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said, “Strengthening healthcare infrastructure following a disaster is critical to ensuring uninterrupted care for affected communities. Dialog’s support towards restoring and upgrading key hospital facilities will contribute meaningfully to improving resilience within the public health system.”

Dialog Axiata PLC Director/Group Chief Executive Supun Weerasinghe said, “Cyclone Ditwah has had a profound impact on communities across the country, leaving many Sri Lankans facing significant challenges. Through this commitment, we are focused on restoring critical healthcare services and rebuilding digital access for students, while supporting national recovery efforts aligned with Government priorities.”

During and immediately following Cyclone Ditwah, Dialog supported over 8 million customers across its services through the provision of free voice, SMS, and mobile data, emergency home broadband data quotas, and complimentary access to select Dialog Television channels. This support enabled individuals, families, and communities in affected areas to maintain essential communication and access timely information when it was most critical.

This commitment builds on Dialog’s long-standing role in supporting national recovery during times of crisis. Following major landslides and floods in 2016–2017, Dialog implemented the Senehe Siyapatha initiative, under which villages in Aranayake, Kotapola and Ehaliyagoda were built to support families displaced by natural disasters. In 2019, in response to the Easter Sunday attacks, Dialog established the Rally to Care fund to provide long-term educational and psychosocial support to affected children and families. During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021), Dialog contributed to strengthening Sri Lanka’s healthcare response through the establishment of fully equipped Intensive Care Units at Negombo and Homagama hospitals. 

More recently, during the 2022 economic crisis, Dialog supported the development and nationwide rollout of the National Fuel Pass system, a Government-recognised initiative that enabled allocation-based fuel distribution and continues to be supported free of charge in collaboration with relevant authorities. Amid the same period, Dialog also initiated Manudham Mehewera, a nationwide food security initiative supporting vulnerable families across the country.