Saudi Fund grants USD 6m for Ditwah-hit roads

Colombo, January. 10 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka will receive an additional USD 6 million from the Saudi Fund for Development to rehabilitate roads damaged by Cyclone Ditwah, the Ministry of Transport said.

The funding was confirmed following discussions held at Parliament between Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake and senior officials of the Saudi Fund for Development.

The Saudi delegation included Senior Specialist (Loan Operations) Mohammed Al-Masoud, Senior Loan Specialist Abdulrahman M. Al-Sogheir, and Project Analyst Faisal Al-Mulith. Secretary to the Ministry, Dr. Kapila Perera, also participated in the discussions.

Minister Rathnayake briefed the delegation on Sri Lanka’s development priorities, the impact of Cyclone Ditwa, and the Government’s response to the disaster. The meeting also focused on the country’s political stability and recent economic recovery.

Officials said the Saudi Fund for Development has already invested about USD 60 million in development projects in Sri Lanka. The additional USD 6 million will be allocated specifically for the repair and rehabilitation of road infrastructure affected by the cyclone.