Business

Grama Niladhari officers in Sri Lanka have decided to stop handling the distribution of a Rs. 5 million government grant meant for families whose homes were partly damaged by cyclone Ditwah. This decision by the Grama Niladhari Trade Union Alliance will take effect today, the 19th. Nandana Ranasinghe, Co-Chairman of the Alliance, explained that they made this choice because of issues found in the official circular that outlines the payment process. He stressed that the government needs to implement proper steps to make sure the grant distribution is clear and organized. The government had earlier announced this Rs. 5 million assistance for homes that suffered partial damage due to cyclone Ditwah. However, the Association of Divisional Secretaries and Assistant Divisional Secretaries, along with the Association of Government Accountants, also withdrew from the payment process, pointing out significant problems in the circular. After this, the task of distributing the grant fell to the Grama Niladhari officers. Now, the Trade Union Alliance has declared that they will not take part in this distribution starting today. In addition, the Alliance claims that its members are not receiving enough compensation for their work during disaster response efforts.