The Hon. Nishantha Jayaweera - Deputy Minister of Economic Development
The Deputy Minister, responding on behalf of the Finance, Planning and Economic Development Minister, stated that there are 1,657,621 current “Aswesuma” beneficiaries and that all approved eligible beneficiaries will continue to be paid. He said additional applicants are still being processed, including cases pending Divisional Secretariat verification, Welfare Benefits Board approval, bank account opening, and final decisions on appeals and objections. Payments to eligible persons in these categories are expected to begin from 28 January 2026 once approvals are completed and bank details are available.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, I answer as follows:
¶ 02 (a) (i) The current number of “Aswesuma” beneficiaries is 1,657,621. (ii) Yes. All beneficiaries who have been approved by the Welfare Benefits Board and satisfy the eligibility criteria will be paid going forward. (iii) Yes. Among those who applied, a further group not yet selected is currently undergoing the selection process. At present, 97 applicants verified by Divisional Secretariats are pending, and 4,228 persons are due for Welfare Benefits Board approval. In addition, 33,513 beneficiaries from the first round and 28,985 from the second round have not yet opened bank accounts; once accounts are opened, payments will be made. Further, 67,531 cases await final decisions due to appeals and objections. Those found eligible after conclusion of these processes will also receive benefits. (iv) From 28th January, 2026. Following completion of appeals and objections and receipt of Board approval, funds will be credited to the notified bank accounts.
¶ 03 (b) Does not arise.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Wednesday, 21 January 2026 ·No. 23242 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Nishantha Jayaweera - Deputy Minister of Economic Development. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 21 January 2026. No. 23242. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/2036