• Issues in updating 1st stage data, ongoing census process 

The Association of Divisional Secretaries (DSs) and Assistant DSs has urged the Government to rectify several shortcomings in the implementation of the Aswesuma welfare benefits programme, warning that continuous technical and administrative issues are affecting both the beneficiaries and public officials engaged in the process.

In a letter addressed to President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake on 23 May, the Association stated that there are a series of problems linked to the updating of first-stage Aswesuma data and the ongoing census process. The Association claimed that the relevant integrated workplace management system (IWMS) continues to operate despite long-standing flaws and claimed that responsibility and accountability for the resulting issues are being unfairly shifted onto DSs and Assistant DSs.

Among the concerns raised was the failure to pay the monthly allowance of Rs. 2,500 owed to officials engaged in Aswesuma-related duties at Divisional Secretariats from January to this month (2026), despite those officers playing a leading role in the data verification process. The Association also stated that practical problems faced at the ground level had not been resolved and that the Welfare Benefits Board continues to place pressure on field officers carrying out Aswesuma duties. According to the letter, the use of external groups such as university students and volunteer organisations during the first-stage census had resulted in inaccurate data being entered into the system, causing some ineligible families to receive benefits whereas eligible families had been left out. The Association further claimed that repeated requests to address flaws in the IWMS had not received adequate attention. They highlighted several technical and operational issues affecting the programme, including errors when marking the geographical location of the houses through mobile applications, delays in updating the system to allow officials to act on information, slow system performance, the disappearance of uploaded data, and difficulties faced by newly approved beneficiaries in opening bank accounts due to system-related errors. The letter also noted that there is still no properly designated and accountable group officially assigned to carry out Aswesuma field duties, despite welfare legislation identifying Samurdhi Development Officers and Grama Niladharis (GNs) as the primary officers responsible for such work. The Association stressed that assigning various office staff to Aswesuma duties on an ad hoc basis would not solve the problem and called for a formal mechanism with clearly assigned responsibilities and accountability. It also objected to a proposal to prioritise the “Severely Poor” and “Poor” categories during the census process, stating that the prevailing fuel shortage, rising fuel prices, and quick response code-based fuel restrictions had already created severe obstacles for field officers travelling across GN divisions to collect data.

Among the recommendations submitted to the President are the appointment of specifically designated officers for Aswesuma field and office duties, the rectification of defects in the IWMS and increasing its capacity, and integrating databases maintained by institutions such as the Ceylon Electricity Board, the Motor Traffic Department, agrarian service centres, and tax authorities, to improve the accuracy of beneficiary selection.

Attempts to contact the Deputy Finance Minister Dr Anil Jayantha and the Presidential Secretariat proved futile.