WFP direct cash transfers to food insecure families

The World Food Programme (WFP) has agreed to provide Rs.10,000 monthly direct cash transfers to at least 61,000 food insecure families that are in need of urgent assistance.

President Ranil Wickremasinghe in his interim budget speech last week announced plans to provide Rs.10,000 per family for a period of four months.

Commenting on the proposed welfare scheme, the Treasury officials yesterday said that the WFP has come forward to provide assistance to these identified food insecure families in need of urgent financial assistance until end of this year.

Amidst record high inflation and loss of income, a record number of Sri Lankans have become food insecure. 

According to the WFP, 33 percent of the country’s population or 7.15 million people are estimated to have been consuming insufficient food below the daily minimum nutritional requirement at present.