• Under Samurdhi, financial assistance was provided while rural infrastructure development projects were also implemented   
• Samurdhi beneficiaries were selected for a long period whereas people eligible for Aswesuma payments would be enlisted for three years, but subject to periodic reviews 
• The programme is being launched against the backdrop of a social safety net envisaged by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)     

Unlike the Samurdhi beneficiaries, the list of “Aswesuma” beneficiaries will be reviewed annually, Welfare Benefits Board (WBB) Chairman B. Wijeratna said.  

In an interview published in the website of the WBB, Mr. Wijeratna stated that the beneficiaries for the “Aswesuma” welfare project which would consolidate existing social welfare schemes such as the Samurdhi Programme would enter and exit depending on changing incomes, which would be identified during the annual reviews.  

The people eligible for “Aswesuma”payments would be enlisted for three years, but subject to periodic reviews, according to the Chairman of the WBB.  
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has given directions for the initiation of “Aswesuma” welfare benefit payments, which are scheduled to commence from July 1st.  
Under the project, payments will be distributed among four social categories, namely transitional, vulnerable, poor, and extremely poor. 

 Additionally, the usual allowances for the differently-abled, elderly, and kidney patients will also be provided, Mr. Wijeratna said. Transitional and vulnerable groups are the groups that have fallen below the poverty line recently and are expected to stabilize their income again soon.  

According to the President’s Media Division, 400,000 transitional beneficiaries will receive Rs.2,500.00 per month until December 31, 2023, 400,000 vulnerable beneficiaries will receive Rs.5,000.00 per month until March 31, 2024, 800,000 poor beneficiaries will receive Rs.8,500.00 per month, and extremely poor beneficiaries will receive Rs.15,000.00 per month for three years beginning July 1, 2023.  

The programme is being launched against the backdrop of a social safety net envisaged by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).