The Cabinet of Ministers has approved an increase in financial assistance for families relocated from landslide-prone areas, raising the maximum housing grant from Rs. 1.6 million to Rs. 2.5 million.

The revision applies to the family resettlement programme implemented for families evacuated from high-risk zones and those already affected by landslides. The initiative enables beneficiaries to construct houses in safer locations under a beneficiary-driven housing model.

The increase was approved in line with a proposal submitted by the President in his capacity as Defence Minister.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet has also granted approval to implement a science-based national strategy to strengthen disaster resilience, following the severe impact of Cyclone Ditwah in 2025.

According to the Government, nearly 2.3 million people were affected when the cyclone struck the country, causing an estimated economic loss of US Dollars 4.1 billion. The disaster resulted in extensive damage to infrastructure, agriculture, environmental sectors, and both mountainous and coastal ecosystems.

In response, the Science and Technology Ministry initiated a shift in the country’s disaster management framework, moving from a post-disaster response model to a pre-disaster, science-based resilience approach. Cabinet approval for the broader programme had earlier been granted on 12 January 2026.

An Institutional Research Requirement Appraisal National Programme was subsequently held on 14 January under the theme “Lessons Learned from the Ditwah Cyclone as a Climatic Stress Examination”.

A committee overseeing the process has submitted a report containing seven recommendations for strategic research and system development to enhance disaster resilience, along with seven further recommendations to operationalise those measures.

The Cabinet has now approved the proposal presented by the Science and Technology Minister to implement the dual-strategy framework aimed at strengthening national disaster preparedness.

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