USAID to award Rs. 15,000/- allowance to low-income agriculture-base families

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has decided to award a subsidy of Rs. 15,000/- ($42) each to low-income earning agriculture-based families across seven districts, said the Department of Government Information on Tuesday (27).

This allowance will be awarded to agriculture-based families living in the districts of Jaffna, Mullaithivu, Mannar, Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Moneragala and Batticaloa districts.

Minister Mahinda Amaraweera noted that the allowance will be for families that earn a monthly income less than Rs. 41,500/-. 

USAID has instructed to award this allowance to the low-income earning agriculture-based families following discussions conducted by the Department of Agricultural Development of the Ministry of Agriculture. 

The Commissioner General of the Department of Agricultural Development H. L. Abeyratne said the allowance will be given in two installments in January 2023.

In addition, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has decided to provide Rs. 8 Billion to 1.2 million rice farming families in the country. 

Rs.10,000/- to Rs. 20,000/- will be given to the farmer families and under the first phase, arrangements have been made to credit Rs. 4 Billion to the respective accounts before the 31st of December 2022.