State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe yesterday said that 393,094 Samurdhi families who are not qualified for the Aswesuma welfare programme will continue to receive the Samurdhi benefits.
“It was decided to extend the Samurdhi allowance to 393,094 families who are not qualified, but receiving the Samurdhi benefit until the appeals and objections process is concluded,” the State Finance Minister tweeted.
He said 1,280,000 Samurdhi beneficiary families have applied for Aswesuma welfare scheme and of them 887,653 have qualified to receive the benefits under the Aswesuma welfare scheme.
A Cabinet paper submitted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to extend the Samurdhi allowance to those who are not qualified to be included to the Aswesuma welfare programme has received approval.
Accordingly they will receive Samurdhi benefits until the appeal process is concluded.
The State Minister said that processing of appeals and objections is progressing rapidly. After this process is completed, the acceptance of new applications will commence, he said.
Semasinghe said that 1,792,265 families are eligible to receive welfare benefits and of them 9,046,612 are newly admitted to receive welfare benefits under the Aswesuma programme.
The State Minister added that elderly, kidney patients and the disabled receiving assistance will be paid without a change. Arrangements will be made to provide elderly allowances through post offices and for kidney patients and the disabled, allowances through Divisional Secretariats. The 11,660 people in elderly homes, children’s homes, disabled centres and religious places will receive allowances without a change.
Not qualified for ‘Aswesuma’