The Ministry of Defence has ordered District Secretaries to accelerate spending of disaster relief money, with over Rs. 60 billion remaining unspent months after Cyclone Ditwah struck affected areas.

The National Disaster Relief Services Centre released Rs. 86.7 billion between January and July 2026 for rehabilitation and reconstruction in areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah, yet only Rs. 26.4 billion—approximately 30%—has been spent, according to Treasury reports cited by state-owned newspaper Silumina. The remaining Rs. 60.3 billion sits unallocated, prompting intervention from senior officials.

In response to the slow disbursement, the Additional Secretary of the Disaster Management Division issued a directive to District Secretaries on August 12 demanding immediate acceleration of fund releases to affected families. Officials emphasized that timely distribution is essential for restoring livelihoods and rebuilding infrastructure in cyclone-devastated regions. The government anticipates an additional Rs. 1.94 billion in allocations to support ongoing recovery efforts.

Resettlement programs have been particularly sluggish. Of Rs. 1.05 billion designated for relocating displaced families, only Rs. 190 million (18%) had been utilized by July 31, leaving Rs. 868 million (82%) unused. In contrast, immediate relief measures have performed substantially better, with 85% of Rs. 7.6 billion allocated for urgent assistance having reached beneficiaries by the same date, indicating that while emergency response mechanisms are functioning, longer-term reconstruction efforts require significant acceleration.