Govt. spent 200 billion rupees last year to provide relief to those affected by economic crisis

The government spent around 200 billion rupees (about 666 million U.S. dollars) in 2023 to provide relief to the people affected by the economic crisis, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said on Monday quoting Presidential Director General (Community Affairs) Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon.

 In a statement on Monday, he said 189.65 billion rupees (about 633 million dollars) were spent on various aids, loans, allowances, and other relief needs, inclusive of appeals and outstanding payments in 2023.

 Another 10 billion rupees were allocated for loans provided by Samurdhi Banks, he said, bringing the government’s total expenditure for social safety measures in 2023 to 199.7 billion rupees.

In 2024, the government has initiated nutritional schemes for schoolchildren, support initiatives for expectant mothers, and distributed 20 kilograms of rice free of charge to each impoverished family, Tennakoon said.