(UDHAYAM, COLOMBO) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $2 million grant to finance relief efforts in the country following the recent floods and landslides that claimed the lives of over 200 people and damaged the homes and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands more.
An agreement in this regard was signed at the Ministry of Finance on Friday (09) by Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Mass Media Dr. R. H. S. Samaratunga, and Senior Country Economists and Officer-in-Charge of the Sri Lanka Resident Mission of the ADB Tadateru Hayashi.
“Considering the scope of the damage in Sri Lanka and the Government’s constrained resources, it is critical that we assist the people of Sri Lanka in this time of urgent need,” said Sri Widowati, ADB Country Director in Sri Lanka.
The $2 million is being provided to the Government as a grant under ADB’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund to purchase emergency relief materials and help restore community services.
“ADB stands ready to assist in the long-term rehabilitation of the calamity-hit areas,” ADB President Takehiko Nakao said in a letter to Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena, as he offered his deepest condolences to the people and affected families in Sri Lanka.
