Cabinet Approves Rs. 1.8 M Additional Compensation for Yan Oya Project Families 📈

The Cabinet has greenlit additional financial redress for families displaced by the Yan Oya Reservoir project, a strategic irrigation initiative for the North Central and Eastern provinces. • Compensation Details: A payment of Rs. 1.8 million per family has been approved for 245 families where alternative land allocation is not feasible. This value is based on a Government Chief Valuer assessment of 1.5 acres of irrigated paddy land. • Project Scope: The reservoir holds 169 million cubic metres, designed to irrigate 11,500 acres of paddy land across the Anuradhapura and Trincomalee districts, supporting dual-season (Yala and Maha) cultivation. • Resettlement Progress: • 540 families have already received compensation under previous approvals. • 313 alternative paddy land plots have been allocated in the Horowpothana division. • This latest approval aims to conclude the resettlement process for families missing out on land-for-land swaps. • Economic Impact: The project is central to enhancing food security and agricultural productivity in the dry zone, specifically targeting the paddy farming sector to ensure year-round yields. _Source: Based on Cabinet decision dated May 2026._