State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe says that applications will be called for the second phase of the “Aswesuma” welfare benefits programme will commence in January 2024.
The State Minister pointed out that the government is ready to carry out a comprehensive review of the welfare benefit scheme’s first phase, before the second phase is launched.
The issues that emerged during the implementation of the first phase and also the suggestions presented by various parties will be considered during this review, Semasinghe said.
Meanwhile, the State Minister mentioned that the “Aswesuma” payments for the month of October have been credited to the accounts of 1,406,930 beneficiaries.
Semasinghe further expressed that the government hopes to increase the number of beneficiaries to 02 million next year and to select the individuals most suitable to receive the welfare benefits. He also added that an amount of Rs. 205 billion has been allocated for the “Aswesuma” payments in 2024.
