Over 16,000 Businesses Reported as Affected By Ditwah

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ministry of Industries has initiated a systematic process to gather information on businesses impacted by recent disasters, aiming to accelerate recovery and provide targeted assistance.

According to official figures, the disaster has affected 6,688 micro enterprises, 5,625 small-scale businesses, 3,642 medium-scale enterprises, and 521 large-scale industries across the country.

To streamline reporting, the ministry has introduced a dedicated hotline 071-2666660 for businesses to notify damages. Stakeholders are urged to submit all relevant details before 2:00 PM tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a high-level discussion on the rapid resumption of large-scale manufacturing industries disrupted by the disaster was held under the leadership of Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe. The meeting included representatives from leading public-private partnership institutions.

In a related development, the Export Development Board (EDB) has begun collecting data on exporters affected by the crisis. 

EDB Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe stated that exporters have faced severe challenges due to power outages, damaged road networks, and transportation disruptions, which have hindered operations and delivery schedules.