The Treasury has released Rs. 1.5 billion to the District Secretaries through the Ministry of Disaster Management for the purpose of distributing dry food rations among the drought affected people.

Rs. 1.43 billion out of the Rs. 1.5 billion provision has already allocated to the relevant tasks as well as the process of distributing dry food rations among the people in Puttalam, Kurunegala, Kilinochchi, Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Monaragala districts already commenced.

The District Secretaries say dry food rations will be issued speedily to the people in the Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Ampara, Badulla, Hambantota, Vavuniya and Mannar districts.

Dry food rations will be issued to the selected farmers by District Secretaries and Divisional Secretaries through the Co-operative Societies.

These dry food rations will be issued according to the instructions given by President Maithripala Sirisena, during his recent visit to Kebithigollewa, to inquire into the issues faced by the drought affected people and a number of programmes are being implemented to provide welfare to the people including their drinking water requirements.

The number of families which have been affected by drought in 15 districts is nearly 500,000. This number will be increased to 600,000 if there will not be any rainfall near future.

The district secretaries have reported though there has been a considerable rainfall in several districts that is not enough to end the drought. It is reported that the drought is being increased in the districts in North, East, North-Central and Wayamba Provinces.

The provisions of relief will continue for two more months and it will be further extended if there will be no rainfall. The plans have been made to provide the required funds in this regard, under the President’s directive.

The President has given instructions to the relevant parties to maintain a better coordination with the relevant  District Secretaries and Divisional Secretaries through the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding these tasks and to summon a progress report from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Disaster Management once a week. He also instructed to obtain a report regarding the performance of the Divisional Secretaries through the Commander of the Army.