Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Minister Dr. Upali Pannilage told Parliament yesterday that more than 1.6 million families in Sri Lanka have been identified as living in poverty, based on recent data from the Welfare Benefits Board (WBB).
He stated that these families are now eligible to receive assistance under the “Aswesuma” welfare programme, which was introduced to address poverty and economic vulnerability.
According to the Minister, the families were identified through the WBB’s updated poverty assessment system, which classifies households as “extremely poor,” “poor,” “vulnerable,” or “transitional.”
Dr. Pannilage further noted that the Government has allocated Rs. 25 billion under the 2026 Budget for the “Praja Shakthi” National Programme, a multi-dimensional community empowerment initiative aimed at poverty eradication.
Under the programme, Rs. 23 billion has been allocated for district-level projects, while Rs. 2 billion will be used for national-level medium-scale projects, training programmes, and research activities.
The initiative is expected to support at least 14,008 Grama Niladhari divisions across the country, with at least one project planned for each division.
The Minister said the programme is one of three national-level initiatives designed to ensure the benefits of economic development are distributed equitably across society, with a focus on areas such as the social environment, food security, human resource development, and the production economy.
He also noted that the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) conducted a comprehensive survey throughout 2025 to identify poor households, with the findings and related data expected to be released in 2026.
