Rs. 500,000 for Disaster-Affected Homes Without Damage Assessments: Minister Ananda Wijepala

29-Dec-2025

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Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala announced that the government has decided to provide Rs. 500,000 per house to families affected by the disaster, without conducting individual damage assessments.

He made this statement while addressing a “Praja Shakthi” awareness programme at the Kobeigane Divisional Secretariat.

The Minister explained that initial relief payments of Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 25,000 for house cleaning were announced without assessments to avoid delays. He said the government aims to rebuild affected homes to a better standard than before, adding that while lives lost cannot be replaced, everything else will be restored.

He noted that conducting detailed assessments for over 120,000 partially damaged houses could take nearly a year, potentially delaying assistance. Families opting out of the flat payment may request formal assessments, in which case compensation will be paid in full based on assessed damages, even if the amount reaches Rs. 2.5 million or Rs. 5 million.