The Hon. (Prof.) Anil Jayantha
On behalf of the Minister, Prof. Anil Jayantha confirmed that an IMF official had commented on social spending and stated that Rs. 205 billion was allocated for 2024, of which Rs. 159.5 billion, or 77.5 per cent, had been spent. He said the allocation was part of broader welfare spending across more than 38 programmes, but acknowledged that fiscal limits and weaknesses in beneficiary identification, data collection, verification, and implementation of the Social Welfare Information System had delayed disbursement. He added that interim short-term measures would begin from 25 January 2025 to address eligible persons who had been left out.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister, I respond:
¶ 02 (a) (i) Yes. The IMF official made those comments at a media briefing. (ii) Rs. 205 billion. (iii) Rs. 159.5 billion. (iv) 77.5%. (v) The allocation for 2024 social spending was Rs. 205 billion, equal to 0.65% of projected GDP, for cash assistance to the poor. Additionally, the Government implements over 38 welfare programmes (school textbooks, uniforms, Triposha, maternal nutrition packs, fertilizer support, etc.). Thus, allocations for social welfare are substantial. (vi) While the need is greater given poverty and vulnerability, fiscal constraints exist. Moreover, despite allocating funds, disbursement lagged due to weaknesses in identifying eligible beneficiaries rapidly and deciding on benefit levels under a proper methodology. Near the end of 2024, hurried actions ahead of elections led to data issues. The Social Welfare Information System being developed faced implementation challenges (data collection, verification, entry, QR codes, revalidation). We acknowledge injustices could arise if we proceed without fixes. We are improving the system and, from 25 January 2025, introducing interim short-term measures to address those left out.
¶ 03 (b) Does not arise.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 23 January 2025 ·No. 1738314169039521 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Prof.) Anil Jayantha. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 23 January 2025. No. 1738314169039521. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/10489