December 26, Colombo (LNW): President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has issued a formal Gazette notification detailing the revised monthly allowances for beneficiaries under the ‘Aswesuma’ welfare scheme, set to commence in January 2025.
The new structure categorises recipients into four distinct groups, with each group set to receive different amounts of financial support based on their needs.
Starting from January 2025, the ‘Extremely Poor’ category will receive a monthly payment of Rs. 17,500, which will continue until June 2026.
A total of 480,000 individuals have been identified in this group, who will benefit from this financial assistance aimed at alleviating their hardships.
Those in the ‘Poor’ category, which includes 960,000 individuals, will be granted Rs. 10,000 each month over the same period, from January 2025 to June 2026.
Meanwhile, the ‘Vulnerable’ group, which faces specific challenges that leave them at risk, will receive a monthly payment of Rs. 5,000 throughout 2025.
The government has also introduced a ‘Transitional’ category for individuals who are in the process of moving out of the most critical conditions of poverty.
Those in this category will receive Rs. 5,000 per month, but only from January to March 2025.
In total, the new programme is designed to support 2.4 million individuals, with the intention of providing vital financial assistance to those in need.
The earlier iteration of the ‘Aswesuma’ welfare scheme, launched on May 17, 2024, has now been officially replaced by this updated structure.
However, payments under the previous scheme will continue until the end of 2024 for those whose payments were delayed for various reasons.
Additionally, the government has made provisions for individuals who have not yet been selected for inclusion in the new programme. Once their eligibility is confirmed, they will receive the corresponding benefits.
This includes applicants who have already submitted appeals, as investigations into their qualifications are still ongoing.
Furthermore, the government has recognised the particular needs of elderly citizens and individuals with specific health conditions.
As such, 820,000 elderly citizens will receive an additional monthly allowance of Rs. 3,000, and 50,000 individuals diagnosed with chronic kidney disease will continue to receive Rs. 7,500 each month as part of a dedicated support scheme.
The assistance does not stop there; Rs. 7,500 per month will also continue to be provided to 410,000 differently-abled individuals under a separate allowance programme.
