The Government is planning awareness and support programs aimed at reducing the number of Sri Lankan migrant workers who die while employed overseas, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath said.

He said around 250 Sri Lankan migrant workers die overseas every year, while approximately 300,000 people leave the country for foreign employment annually.Speaking at an event held at the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment today (10), the Minister said the Government had proposed programs to educate workers about the laws and regulations of their destination countries.

He said measures were also being taken to improve the mental preparedness of workers before they leave the country and to provide them with necessary awareness.Meanwhile, the Government has increased the compensation paid to families of migrant workers who die while working abroad from Rs.600,000 to Rs.2 million.Minister Herath said the Government was also introducing new welfare programs for migrant workers, including housing loans of up to Rs.10 million through banks, with the Bureau expected to bear part of the interest under the scheme.He added that the Bureau already provides welfare benefits such as school supplies and annual scholarship allowances for the children of migrant workers.Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra, Additional Secretaries of the Ministry Sugath Yalegama and Prasad Piyasena, SLBFE Chairman Kosala Wickramasinghe and General Manager Devapriya Gunasinghe were present.