Govt. begins first phase of Aswesuma payments to 1.5 mn families

The government has begun the first phase of payments to 1.5 million families under the Aswesuma welfare scheme. A total of Rs. 4.395 billion has been transferred to the bank accounts of 689,803 beneficiaries so far. The second phase of payments is to begin next week.

State Minister of Finance  Shehan Semasinghe said that around Rs. 15 billion has been earmarked to assist the 1.5 million shortlisted beneficiary families. He urged those who have not yet received their payments to contact the hotline number 1924 on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Minister Semasinghe also warned that legal action will be taken against those who acquire Aswesuma benefits through fraudulent means. He said the government will not hesitate to reclaim the disbursed funds in such cases.
The first phase of payments is being made to families who have been identified as the most vulnerable. The second phase of payments will be made to other eligible families.

“So far, Rs. 5 billion has been deposited into the accounts of 791,000 families out of the current 1.5 million qualified families. Over 683,000 of these families have already received their funds, and the remaining 111,000 beneficiaries are scheduled to receive their payments in the coming days,” Aswasuma Welfare Benefit Board Chairman Jayantha Wijayaratne said. 
He noted that the second group is set to receive their funds in the following week, and aim to disburse the entire amount before September 15.