The previous payment of Rs.5,000 to low-income families who lost their livelihoods due to the temporary closure of the country to control the spread of the Covid epidemic was reduced to Rs.2,000 this year because of the economic crisis of the government.
However, this Rs.2000 is being given at present. This allowance is not available for permanent employees of government / semi / corporations / banks / insurance companies, pensioners / widows ‘and orphans’ pensioners, Samurdhi beneficiaries, recipients of Centenary Allowance, Disability and Kidney Allowance, permanent employees in the private sector, those who have cultivated more than 1 1/2 acres, families who are abroad, those who have obtained permits for mobile sales these days, high income earners as announced by government.
Accordingly, this allowance should be given only to a very limited number of people. However, the Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga had stated recently that 116434 family units in the Gampaha District have been given an allowance of Rs.2,000.
The Minister had said that the allowance would be paid to another 230424 families in the district who have been identified as family units who have lost their livelihood.
It has been identified that 326858 families in the Gampaha District have lost their livelihood due to the closure of the country and the government is spending Rs.480,000,000 to provide an allowance of Rs.2000 to these families.
Accordingly 33135 families in Negombo Divisional Secretariat Division, 32411 families in Katana Divisional Secretariat Division, 22011 families in Divulapitiya Divisional Secretariat Division, 13989 families in Mirigama Divisional Secretariat Division, 360 families in Minuwangoda Divisional Secretariat, 30128 families in Gampaha Divisional Secretariat Division, 15960 families in Attanagalla Divisional Secretariat Division, 20988 families in Dompe Divisional Secretariat Division, 22521 families in Mahara Divisional Secretariat Division, 27353 families in Kelaniya Divisional Secretariat Division will be given this allowance.
Inquiries into the manner in which Gampaha granted this allowance revealed that the present government had provided information to Grama Niladharis through active political supporters at the village level. Some of the Grama Niladharis had telephoned their friends in the area as their documents were suspicious and asked them if they had any money.
Grama Niladharis in some areas have given these 2000s secretly. Recently, it was reported that there was a tense situation in the Hatton area due to this 2000 allowance and finally the Grama Niladharis returned without distributing the money.
However, there is no transparency on how these 2000s were distributed. Many have questioned whether this was a decision not to give rather than just give.