President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday directed relevant authorities to continue the drought relief granted to people affected by the recent drought. The President issued the directive when Minister Chandrani Bandara pointed out at the Cabinet Ministers’ meeting held yesterday, that relief granted to people affected by the drought had been stopped after four months, the Women’s and Child Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
According to the Drought Situation Report Summary issued by the Disaster Management Ministry, Puttalam, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Mannar, and Vavuniya districts were severely affected by the drought from January 2017 onwards. According to the report, 80,983 families which include 257,125 individuals were affected by the drought.