The Welfare Benefits Board (WBB) has announced that Aswesuma welfare payments will be provided only to families classified as poor and extremely poor under the programme’s second phase.
The Aswesuma welfare scheme, launched in 2023, is scheduled to enter its next phase this year, with authorities currently carrying out a reassessment and updating the information of existing beneficiaries.
When the programme was first introduced, nearly 1.6 million beneficiaries received financial assistance under four eligibility categories.
However, payments to approximately 315,000 beneficiaries classified under the fourth category, identified as the transitional group, were discontinued in April 2025.
In addition, financial assistance provided to around 425,000 beneficiaries in the third category, categorized as vulnerable households, was halted from June this year.
Assistant Commissioner of the Welfare Benefits Board, Ashan Darshaka, stated that families previously included in the vulnerable and transitional categories could become eligible for assistance once again if the ongoing reassessment determines that they are currently living in poverty or extreme poverty.
The reassessment process aims to ensure that welfare benefits are directed to households most in need, while improving the efficiency and transparency of the Aswesuma programme.
The Welfare Benefits Board urged beneficiaries to cooperate with officials during the verification process to ensure that updated household information is accurately recorded before the second phase of the programme is implemented.
