The parent care allowance paid to the parents of military personnel remains active, the Ministry of Defence has said, according to Hiru News.
The Ministry said a monthly allowance of Rs. 750 is provided for the welfare of war hero parents, that 32,392 parents are eligible, and that 16,805 individuals currently receive it.
What the Ministry’s own figures show
The two numbers the Ministry gave do not match. On its own count, 15,587 eligible parents — roughly 48% — are not receiving the allowance. The scheme reaches about half the people it is meant for.
The sums involved are small. At Rs. 750 a month, the allowance is Rs. 9,000 a year per parent. Paid to 16,805 recipients, it costs about Rs. 151 million a year. Extending it to all 32,392 eligible parents would cost roughly Rs. 292 million a year — an increase of some Rs. 140 million, against a defence budget measured in hundreds of billions.
The Ministry did not say why the other half are not enrolled, and the statement as reported does not distinguish between parents who are eligible but have not applied, applications still being processed, and claims that have been rejected.
Context
The statement is a confirmation that an existing scheme continues rather than an announcement of a new one, which usually indicates a question was raised about its status. Hiru’s filing does not say what prompted it.
It comes while the Ministry is weighing a merger of the National Defence Fund and the ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ Fund into the Ranaviru Seva Fund — a review whose stated aim includes widening the pool of service members and families eligible for welfare benefits. Whether the parent care allowance falls within that review is not stated.
Not reported
The filing does not say who in the Ministry made the statement or when, what prompted it, or when the allowance was introduced. It does not set out the eligibility criteria, say whether “war hero parents” covers the parents of serving personnel as well as those killed or disabled, or explain how parents apply. It gives no date for the last increase to the Rs. 750 figure, does not say whether an increase is under consideration, and offers no explanation for the gap between the eligible and the enrolled.
