Rs. 50 Billion Supplementary Estimate for Urgent Disaster Relief

 The government has submitted a supplementary estimate of Rs. 50 billion to Parliament to provide urgent relief to the people affected by the disaster situation prevailing across the island. This proposal was presented to the House by Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Rathnayake, to secure the necessary provisions for disaster-affected people.

Before this supplementary estimate was presented to Parliament, a special cabinet meeting was held at the President's Office. During the meeting, extensive discussions took place regarding the future steps to be taken to overcome the national catastrophe that has arisen with the emergency disaster situation, and

cabinet approval was granted for the allocation of the relevant financial provisions.

According to Minister of Housing, Construction, and Water Supply, Susil Ranasinghe, the approved sum of Rs. 50 billion has been allocated under two categories. Accordingly, Rs. 20 billion has been allocated for disaster relief activities, and Rs. 30 billion for development assistance, the Minister stated.

Meanwhile, joining the Budget Committee debate, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa made a special request in Parliament. The Opposition Leader urged the government to declare a national day of mourning for the people affected by the disaster.