The Welfare Benefits Board has disbursed Rs.11.6 billion to the bank accounts of 622,495 beneficiaries in the transitional and vulnerable categories, under the Aswesuma Welfare Benefit Payment Program.
Eligible beneficiaries in the vulnerable category received Rs. 5,000 monthly from July 2023 to March 31, 2024, while those in the transitional category received Rs. 2,500 monthly from July 2023 to December 31, 2023, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.
The Welfare Benefits Board had also been instructed to extend the payment period of special allowances for beneficiaries in the transitional and vulnerable categories under the “Aswesuma” program until December 2024, in response to the current economic situation, the PMD said.
As part of this initiative, a special allowance was disbursed for the month of June 2024, with monthly payments of Rs. 5,000 each due to be made from July 2024 to December 2024.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of the Welfare Benefits Board Jayantha Wijeratne confirmed that the existing payment system for the extremely poor and poor categories will continue without changes. (Newswire)