The Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage - Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, in response to the question by the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Sajith Premadasa, under SO 27(2) on 19 March 2026:

¶ 02 1. On the current district-wise population in poverty: Official statistics are produced by the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS). The last district-wise poverty estimates were in 2019, identifying 3,042,256 persons as poor. The Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) fieldwork for 2025 is complete; results will be released in October 2026. Additionally, as of March 2026, the Welfare Benefits Board (WBB) identifies 1,695,843 households as poor beneficiaries, district-wise figures as tabled.

¶ 03 2. On the Government’s definition of poverty: DCS defines poverty based on the Official Poverty Line (OPL), derived from the cost of basic needs sufficient to meet daily per-person caloric requirement of 2,030 kilocalories plus essential non-food needs (housing, clothing, education, health, transport, utilities, communications, personal sanitation). Those with per capita consumption below the OPL are considered poor. As of March 2026, the national OPL was Rs. 16,690 per person per month.

¶ 04 3. On impacts of poverty: Economically—lower incomes and constrained expenditures, reduced productivity, higher welfare outlays, greater inequality, and skilled labour outmigration. Socially—adverse effects on education and health quality, rising inequality and social unrest, and mental stress from debt and assistance dependence.

¶ 05 4. Indicators used to identify poverty: - Official Poverty Line (OPL) using cost of basic needs with CPI adjustments and regional price differences; district OPLs for March 2026 were tabled (e.g., Colombo Rs. 18,000; Monaragala Rs. 15,958). - Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) with three dimensions—Education, Health, and Living Standards—across ten indicators (years of schooling, school attendance, chronic illness limiting activity, access time to health facilities, housing materials, sanitation, drinking water access, cooking fuel, assets, and access to basic facilities).

¶ 06 5. On Government assessments: Regular triennial HIES by DCS; annual Central Bank reports; WBB multidimensional poverty analyses; studies by Department of National Planning; UNDP/World Bank updates—the World Bank issued an April update.

¶ 07 6. On current programmes: Under social protection, the WBB implements “Aswesuma” cash transfers; the Ministry’s Social Services Department and National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities operate programmes for persons with disabilities and the elderly; the Sri Lanka Social Security Board runs a contributory pension scheme for informal workers; other line ministries run protection schemes.

¶ 08 7. On income-generation and empowerment: Through the Department of Samurdhi Development, with support from the World Bank, ADB and the Treasury, a comprehensive livelihoods and empowerment programme is underway with five components: social protection; training and counselling; livelihood promotion; community social empowerment; and integration. The national “Praja Shakthi” poverty eradication drive allocates Rs. 25 billion in 2026 for community-level empowerment and income projects.

¶ 09 8. On strategic policy: A National Social Protection Policy (2024) and a 2025–2035 strategic plan focus on social assistance, social care, social insurance, and effective labour market inclusion.

¶ 10 9. Pillars of the Praja Shakthi programme include: - Social environment: water, electricity, sanitation, urban parks. - Food security: crop diversification, agri-technology, irrigation, cooperative agribusiness. - Human capital: libraries, wellness centres, technical colleges, sports and recreation. - Supply-chain development: roads, bridges, markets, storage/cold rooms, aggregation centres, transport. - Care: child and elder care centres, disability support. - Productive economy: tourism, industrial infrastructure, tech centres, cooperatives, production facilities.

¶ 11 10. Beneficiary categorisation by WBB: - Extreme poor: 420,471 - Poor: 847,347 - Vulnerable: 428,025 Total: 1,695,843 households

¶ 12 Additionally identified for allowances: 171,997 persons with disabilities; 945,099 elderly; 53,044 CKD patients; total 1,170,140 beneficiaries.

¶ 13 Short-term measures include cash transfers (Aswesuma, elderly/disability/CKD), food and nutrition security, price stabilisation, and disaster relief (e.g., Rs. 50 billion post-Cyclone “Dicha”; Rs. 100 billion for Middle East war-related relief). Long-term strategy is empowerment through the five-pronged household programme. We have recruited 16,351 Development Officers (Community Empowerment Officers) for implementation. A detailed answer is tabled.