May 19, Colombo (LNW): The National Disaster Relief Services Centre (NDRSC) has unveiled a new digital platform aimed at streamlining compensation claims and improving communication with communities impacted by Cyclone Ditwah.
The programme, introduced under the Ministry of Defence, was launched at a ceremony held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in the presence of Deputy Defence Minister, retired Major General Aruna Jayasekara, along with representatives from international organisations and government agencies.
Developed with funding support from the Government of Norway and technical assistance from UNICEF and the United Nations Volunteers programme, the initiative is expected to modernise the country’s disaster response process by making relief services more efficient and transparent.
Officials stated that the newly introduced online compensation management system will allow affected residents to submit claims digitally through their local Grama Niladhari officers, reducing delays and paperwork that often arise during disaster recovery efforts.
In addition to the compensation platform, authorities also launched a multilingual Community Feedback Mechanism designed to improve public access to information and enable faster responses to complaints and concerns raised by disaster victims.
The service, available in Sinhala, Tamil and English, will operate on weekdays between 9.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. through a dedicated hotline and QR code-based access system. Once complaints or requests are submitted, they will be reviewed and directed to relevant district or national-level officials for follow-up action.
Each submission will also receive a unique reference number, enabling applicants to track the status of their requests in real time.