People living in the areas where severe drought condition was prevailing were very much better off than the opposition described them, the minister said.

Minister Amaraweera said so making the reply speech of a debate on a motion moved at the time of adjournment of the House by UNP Hambantota District MP Sajith Premadasa, who alleged that the people affected by drought had been helpless and no action had been taken by the government lessen their plight.

Minister Amaraweera said that the opposition tried to paint a wrong picture of people living in the areas where drought was prevailing. “According to the accounts by Opposition MPs there are walking skeletons without water and food and the drought affected people die along the road side. But the truth was otherwise. The government had extended maximum help and assistance to the affected people. We allocated 102 million rupees and our ministry provided 72 bowsers to supply drinking water. Several other ministries deployed around 500 bowsers for the same purpose. Apart from that 551 million rupees had been provided to be spent on minor rehabilitation works. Whenever a massive drought hit this country in the past, the World Food Programme of the United Nations had to come for the assistance. Today the government provides all assistance.”

The Minister said that the government not only provided drought hit people but also made use of the drought conditions to take actions needed for the development. “For example, we removed silt in the tanks in Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura and Hambantota districts. Not a single government had intervened in a relief providing operation before the way our government had involved to bring relief to affected people,” the minister said. (Special Reporter/HC)