COLOMBO, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development said Friday that 416 manufacturing and export factories have been damaged by Cyclone Ditwah.
As an immediate relief measure, the ministry will provide compensation amounting to 25 percent of the total reported damages. Factory owners have been instructed to submit assessments by Dec. 16.
The ministry said the highest number of affected facilities were in the districts of Gampaha, Colombo, Puttalam, Trincomalee, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matara, Kandy, and Batticaloa.
To support rebuilding efforts, the government has allocated 3 billion rupees (about 10 million U.S. dollars) in non-repayable subsidies for impacted industries. ■
