Government Increases Aswesuma Payments for Festival Month

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has announced a temporary increase in cash assistance for low-income beneficiaries under the Aswesuma programme, citing the need to provide relief during the April festival month.

Addressing the issue, the President said one of the main challenges facing the government is clearly identifying who qualifies as a low-income beneficiary and determining how assistance should be provided. He noted that while there have been criticisms of the current system, Aswesuma remains the only available criteria at present to identify low-income beneficiaries.

He explained that under the existing Aswesuma framework, there are different benefit categories, including payments of Rs. 17,500, Rs. 10,000, and Rs. 5,000.

The President said the government has decided to introduce temporary increases applicable only for the month of April, in view of the festive season.

Accordingly, the Rs. 17,500 Aswesuma payment will be increased by Rs. 7,500, raising it to Rs. 25,000 for April.

The Rs. 10,000 payment will be increased by Rs. 5,000, bringing it to Rs. 15,000 for the same period.

In addition, beneficiaries who fall within a transitional category will receive an increase of Rs. 2,500 for April.

The President said the government has estimated that an additional Rs. 8.5 billion will be required to fund these increases for the month. He emphasised that the enhancements are limited to April and are intended to provide relief to low-income households during the festival season.