The Welfare Benefits Board says it has made arrangements to credit the May payments under the “Aswesuma” welfare benefit scheme for senior citizens aged over 70 directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts on Friday (29).
The government has released a total of Rs. 3.49 billion for nearly 700,000 eligible elderly beneficiaries selected under the first and second phases of the programme, according to a statement carried by Ada Derana. The board said all eligible recipients would be able to withdraw their entitled allowance from their bank accounts starting Friday.
Under the first phase, Rs. 3,125,600,000 has been allocated for 625,128 beneficiaries aged over 70. A further Rs. 368,315,000 has been allocated under the second phase for 73,663 beneficiaries in the same age group.
Aswesuma is the central pillar of the government’s targeted social-protection programme. The over-70 senior-citizen tranche announced on Thursday is distinct from earlier tranches the Welfare Benefits Board has rolled out this year, including the April installment for 689,931 beneficiaries and broader payments tied to the Phase I census ending May 31 which feeds into the July-resumption beneficiary survey.
The Welfare Benefits Board has been moving toward fuller digital delivery of the scheme, after Free Lawyers earlier this month flagged a probe into double payments under the legacy systems.
