The Welfare Benefits Board (WBB) has announced that Aswesuma welfare payments will, in the next phase of the programme, be limited only to families identified as poor and extremely poor.
Launched in 2023, the Aswesuma social welfare scheme is set to move into its second phase this year, during which beneficiary data is being updated and reassessed.
At the time of its introduction, nearly 1.6 million people received assistance under four different categories. However, payments to around 315,000 beneficiaries in the fourth category, classified as the “transitional group,” were stopped in April 2025.
Similarly, assistance to about 425,000 beneficiaries in the third category, identified as “vulnerable households,” was discontinued from June this year.
Assistant Commissioner of the Welfare Benefits Board, Ashan Darshaka, said that families previously placed in the vulnerable and transitional categories could regain eligibility if the reassessment process confirms they fall under the poor or extremely poor categories.
