• Rs 30,000 for 3 months to families with pregnancy, children 

The Government is preparing to provide Rs 10,000 a month for three months to families with pregnant women and young children who have suffered livelihood losses due to El Niño-induced dry weather conditions, according to the Rural Development, Social Security, and Community Empowerment Ministry.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Rural Development, Social Security, and Community Empowerment Deputy Minister Wasantha Piyathissa said the Government had identified pregnant women and families with young children as groups requiring assistance and was preparing to provide financial support to those who had faced economic difficulties due to the El Niño conditions.

“We have identified pregnant women and families with young children as groups that need assistance. If they have faced economic difficulties due to El Niño, arrangements have been made to provide them with financial assistance. The proposed assistance will be provided at a rate of around Rs 10,000 per family per month for a period of three months,” he said.

He further said instructions had already been given to District Secretaries to identify families meeting the relevant criteria and submit their details to the Ministry so that the assistance could be provided.

The programme is being considered as part of the Government’s response to livelihood losses caused by the dry weather conditions linked to El Niño, which have affected communities engaged in agriculture, fishing, plantation work, livestock farming, self-employment and other activities.

Environment Minister Dr Dammika Patabendi told Parliament on 10 September that a total of 78,368 people belonging to 25,037 families had lost their livelihoods as a result of the conditions, with affected communities reported in Monaragala, Badulla, Ratnapura, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara and Anuradhapura.

A total of 2,107 fishing-sector families involving 7,491 people had suffered livelihood losses, while 12,304 agricultural families comprising 36,875 people had been affected.

A further 2,333 plantation-sector families, involving 7,889 people, had suffered losses, along with 1,769 families comprising 6,039 people engaged in self-employment.

A total of 108 families involving 369 people in the business sector and 2,966 families comprising 9,408 people involved in livestock activities had been affected.

Another 3,450 families, involving 10,297 people, had been categorised under other livelihood-related activities.