Govt. plans to spend record Rs.206bn on social welfare

• New welfare programme to come into effect from July post parliamentary approval 
• It is designed in line with Welfare Benefits Board Act
• “Largest expenditure on social welfare in post-independence Sri Lanka”- Cabinet Spokesman 
• New programme equipped with mechanism to better target most vulnerable groups

• By Nishel Fernando

The government plans to spend a record Rs.206 billion per annum in welfare expenditure starting from this July under a new programme prepared in line with Welfare Benefits Board Act to

assist the poor and vulnerable who are truly in need of assistance.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies sought the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers for the new welfare programme with defined costs, timelines and number of recipients under the provisions of Welfare Benefits Board Act.

“This would be the largest expenditure on social welfare in post-independence Sri Lanka,” Cabinet Spokesman Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. Unlike current welfare programmes, the proposed welfare programme is equipped with a mechanism to better target the most vulnerable groups in the society. Based on recommendations of a technical committee appointed by the Presidential Secretariat, the Government Information Department noted that the recipients would receive welfare benefits based on the poverty gap.

Around 3.1 million low-income families are expected to receive welfare benefits under this programme.
Multilateral agencies such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have come on board to provide funding for this programme.

The government last year started establishing a new information system of welfare applicants in order to identify those who truly deserve benefits. 
Further, the Government Information Department revealed that plans are underway to provide welfare benefits to the disabled, kidney patients and senior citizens under different programmes.
Having secured the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers, the proposed programme is to be tabled in parliament for approval in order to implement it from July 1, this year.