COVID relief: Rs. 5000 allowance given to 80,000 people in parts of Gampaha district

The Rs. 5000 allowance has been paid so far to 80,000 people affected by the COVID19 pandemic in the Gampaha district, a top official said.

Phase one has been completed of the distribution of the life supporting allowance of Rs 5000 to curfew affected low income families in the Gampaha district.

Gampaha District Secretary Sunil Jayalath said: "We only granted this concession to areas where curfew was declared first."

The payment of the allowance to the people living in the remaining areas of the district was still under consideration, he said.

The Rs 5000 allowance was granted for Samurdhi recipients, low-income earners and those who had lost their income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The relief distribution programme initiated during the earlier curfew period has been mired in issues, with allegations about the choosing of beneficiaries. As a result we choose them with the approval of a committee of the Divisional Secretariat and a committee at the village level comprising Samurdhi Officers, Development Officers, Grama Niladhari Officers and community leaders,” he added.

According to the Gampaha District Secretary the payment for the 80,000 families in the quarantine curfew areas was concluded on Friday.

He said those who had not been given the relief had been advised to submit appeals through the Grama Niladhari Officer to the specially assigned village level committee.

The Gampaha District Secretary said necessary steps had been taken to carry out the distribution of the relief adhering to all quarantine rules.

Meanwhile, Attanagalla Assistant Divisional Secretary Sameera Jayawardena said payments were made to about 7070 people in 33 Grama Niladhari Divisions.

Some 46 families including those in quarantine, were unable to get the allowance.

The Government had allocated Rs. 400 million for the first phase of this programme. The Tourism Minister and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Gampaha District Leader Prasanna Ranatunga had requested the President at the Cabinet meeting last week to provide the Rs. 5000 allowance for people in the who lost their livelihood due to the imposition of curfew.