Steps have already been taken to provide financial assistance to industrialists affected by severe weather conditions caused by Cyclone Ditwah, under the first phase of the relief programme, the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development has stated.

Accordingly, a total sum of Rs. 106.2 million has been released to support 531 industrial units, with each beneficiary receiving a one-time payment of Rs. 200,000 as preliminary assistance to restore industries that have become inactive or damaged due to the disaster.

The government decided to grant the financial relief with the intervention of the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, as an immediate measure to revive affected industries.

The Ministry has so far identified nearly 10,000 affected industrialists across the island through a dedicated database established to record businesses that were fully or partially damaged by Cyclone Ditwah.

Out of these, funds for the first phase have been released to District Secretaries in the Gampaha, Colombo, Mannar, Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee, Kegalle, Monaragala, Badulla, Polonnaruwa, Ratnapura and Anuradhapura districts, following confirmation at the Divisional Secretariat Division level.

The Ministry further stated that several projects are already being implemented to ensure the stability and continuity of the country’s industrial sector, while focusing on rebuilding industries affected by the recent natural disaster.

Additionally, measures are being prepared to establish a resilient industrial sector capable of withstanding similar natural disasters in the future, the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development added.