• State Social Empowerment Minister Anupa Pasqual also underscores Govt. duty to prevent any injustice, appeals accepted at DSs till 10 July   

State Minister of Social Empowerment Anupa Pasqual said that while it is the responsibility of the people not to be victims of politically motivated agendas launched by various groups in order to stop the “Aswesuma” welfare plan, the Government should not allow any injustice to occur.

Speaking to the media yesterday (26), he said this following numerous protests that have been launched by people in many parts of the country, claiming that their names are not included in the list of “Aswesuma” beneficiaries. He also said that an opportunity is given to those who have issues in this regard to file an appeal in the relevant Divisional Secretariats (DSs) until 10 July. He added that people should first make an appeal rather than protest in front of public offices, which, he deemed, was not a suitable thing to do. 

“We have understood that there are several issues related to this plan. It is a common thing that is observed in such plans. There are similar issues in the Samurdhi scheme as well. Therefore, we have given enough time for the people to make an appeal if they have any problem and we will not allow any injustice to take place,” he said. Pasqual also said that the Government will implement this welfare scheme which would help the Government achieve its goal of uplifting the livelihoods of the underprivileged community, making them self-reliant rather than dependent on Government provided benefits. He also said that although the Opposition criticises this plan, even Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa was blamed for including the names of his supporters in the Samurdhi beneficiaries’ list.

Speaking further, he noted that a more updated welfare plan like the “Aswesuma” is needed to ensure that welfare beneficiaries become more self-reliant. “There are 1.2 million Samurdhi beneficiaries in Sri Lanka. This amount has been increasing for decades without any decrease, which means that these people have become accustomed to it throughout their lifetime. The Government wants to change this. Therefore, the President has directed us to establish a system that can convert these underprivileged people into small-scale entrepreneurs. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the public servants to help achieve this goal without making baseless complaints,” he said.

According to State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, the Aswesuma welfare benefit scheme will be provided to more than eight million people belonging to about two million families from July onwards.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe had given directions for the initiation of the Aswesuma welfare benefit payments, which are scheduled to commence on 1 July. The relevant gazette notification was published in accordance with the authorities delegated to the President as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies. Additionally, the usual allowances for the differently abled, the elderly, and kidney patients will be provided. The Aswesuma welfare benefits programme, initiated by President Wickremesinghe as part of the social safety net to alleviate the ongoing economic crisis, is to be carried out under the purview of State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe with the involvement of various Government agencies, including the Ministry of Finance. Through this programme, financial assistance will be provided to the lower income group, comprising 40% of society, across four categories – transitional, vulnerable, poor, and extremely poor. The Government aims to offer Rs. 15,000 per month to families falling under the extremely poor category. According to reports, the Welfare Benefit Board has received more than 3.7 million applications seeking this allowance.