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

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, on behalf of the Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, I move:

¶ 02 “That the Aswesuma Welfare Benefit Payment Scheme, gazetted under the Welfare Benefits Act, No. 24 of 2002, by the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies in Gazette Extraordinary No. 2467/03 of 15 December 2025 and presented on 06.01.2026, be approved. (Cabinet approval has been granted.)”

¶ 03 Hon. Speaker, I wish to present some points on the amendment to the Gazette relating to the Aswesuma Welfare Benefit Payment Scheme under the Welfare Benefits Act, No. 24 of 2002. This is now the main welfare programme providing benefits to low-income individuals and vulnerable social groups. Benefits are granted in accordance with duly gazetted schemes. Initiated in 2022, payments under Aswesuma commenced in July 2023 for the first time to low-income groups.

¶ 04 The scheme grants benefits under four main categories: Poor, Extremely Poor, Vulnerable, and Transitional social groups. There has been public debate regarding beneficiary selection. The Welfare Benefits Board uses six main criteria and 22 sub-criteria for selection, based on the 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey of the Department of Census and Statistics.

¶ 05 When we assumed office in 2024, payments for one group were scheduled to end in December 2024. We extended those payments to June 2025. Subsequently, under the March 2025 amended Gazette, those due to end in December 2025 were further extended, considering the severe disaster caused by the November cyclonic conditions. Therefore, payments for those groups will not end as scheduled in December 2025 but are extended to June 2026 by this amendment, Hon. Speaker.

¶ 06 Additionally, under this same welfare scheme, we provide benefits to other groups such as persons with disabilities, those suffering from renal diseases, and elderly assistance recipients.

¶ 07 In 2024, when we took office, only 142,804 persons with disabilities were receiving assistance, though the Gazette then envisaged assistance to about 410,000.