A person who has lost his belongings and livelihood in floods cannot be expected to wander from office to office in search of officials. Therefore, it is the duty of officials themselves to go in search of such people and collect the necessary details, Governor of the Northern Province, Hon. N. Vethanayahan has instructed officials.
He further pointed out that the lack of interest shown by the general public in registering their livelihoods—such as agriculture and livestock farming—has led to difficulties in receiving the relief and compensation due to them during disasters.
The Governor made these remarks during a discussion held today – on Monday, 22 December 2025, with representatives of the Federations of Thrift and Credit Cooperative Societies of the Northern Province, who briefed him on the challenges their societies are facing due to the natural disaster.
“Our people have a very serious shortcoming. They do not show sufficient interest in registering their livelihood activities—such as agriculture and livestock—within the government system. This lack of interest has placed them at a disadvantage in obtaining compensation and relief provided by the government during situations like the current natural disaster. Taking what has happened as a lesson, people should at least now ensure that their livelihood activities are properly registered,” he urged.
Speaking about the conduct of officials involved in relief work, the Governor said, “Many of our officials do not have a humanitarian outlook when it comes to helping the poor. They operate with the mindset of, ‘It’s not in the circulars, so why should we help?’ This is precisely why the poor remain poor.
Officials cannot function by sitting in their offices and saying that they will register details only if affected people provide them, and leave it otherwise. People who have suffered destruction will be in a state of trauma and anxiety over their losses. Understanding this, officials themselves must go to the field and gather information. I have issued the necessary instructions in this regard,” the Governor stated.
The Coordinating Secretaries to the Governor and district representatives of the federations participated in this discussion.
