The Rs. 25,000 relief allowance has been already disbursed to more than 50% of the people who were affected by recent floods and landslides, Cabinet Spokesperson and Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa stated.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing, the Minister stated that government officials are currently carrying out assessments to provide the remaining compensation payments.

Accordingly, compensation has already been paid to 73.4% of affected individuals in the Gampaha District, 68.39% in Ratnapura, 65.28% in Matale, 70.05% in Anuradhapura and 61.42% in Kurunegala, among others, the Minister said.

He further stated that in some districts the percentage of compensation payments remains below 50%, and that officials are currently intervening to expedite the process. The Minister added that a discussion will be held under the leadership of the President with all District Secretaries to address related issues and accelerate relief efforts.

The Minister said:

“Nearly 2.2 million people were affected by this disaster. This is the highest number of disaster-affected individuals ever recorded. At present, government officials are assessing the compensation that needs to be provided to each person, while some payments are already being made. As of yesterday, more than 50% of the Rs. 25,000 allowance has been disbursed. This may vary from district to district.”