General

The Committee on Public Finance has asked the Welfare Benefits Board to change the current rules for the Aswesuma Welfare Benefits Payment Scheme to improve its effectiveness. There have been various problems with the existing 22 rules used to decide who can receive benefits under this scheme. Therefore, officials were directed to create new criteria for selecting future Aswesuma beneficiaries, according to the Department of Communication of Parliament. This discussion took place during a meeting of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF), led by Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva, on January 8, 2026, at Parliament. They also reviewed the extension of the Aswesuma Welfare Benefits Payment Scheme, which was declared under Section 9 of the Welfare Benefits Act No. 24 of 2002, as noted in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2467/03 on December 15, 2025. It was mentioned that benefits for the transitional category of beneficiaries ended on April 30, 2025. Under the proposed new changes to the Aswesuma Welfare Benefits Payment Scheme, benefits will now be provided to the vulnerable, poor, and extremely poor categories, as stated by officials. However, to address potential socio-economic challenges from unexpected disasters, officials suggested extending payments for the vulnerable category, originally set to end on December 31, 2025, until June 2026. Additionally, they reported to the Committee that support for people with disabilities, kidney assistance recipients, and the elderly will continue. During the meeting, the Committee also asked officials from the Department of Samurdhi Development about their ongoing projects. The officials confirmed that they are implementing important activities and projects aimed at empowering 2 million families in Sri Lanka.