Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
Tuesday, 28 October 2025 00:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Parliament Secretariat said yesterday that World Bank representatives have emphasised the importance of maintaining an accurate and up-to-date database for identifying eligible beneficiaries under the Aswesuma Social Security Program. The Bank has also expressed its readiness to provide technical assistance and international expertise to strengthen the system.
These observations were made during a joint meeting held recently at Parliament, attended by members of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Finance, Planning and Economic Development, the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Economic Development and International Relations, Members of Parliament, representatives of the World Bank, and officials of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies.
“During the discussions, the World Bank representatives stated that establishing a comprehensive data system for social security would enable the accurate identification of genuinely poor and vulnerable individuals and families,’ the Parliament Secretariat said in a statement.
“They noted that the mere inclusion of citizens’ information in the database would not automatically qualify them as Aswesuma beneficiaries."
Instead, the data must be verified and analysed to correctly identify those eligible for relevant benefits.
“(The World Bank officials) further emphasised that such a Social Security data system constitutes a productive investment for the country and, therefore, highlighted the need for continuous updating of the data system,” the statement said.
Members of Parliament who took part in the discussion also expressed their views regarding issues encountered in distributing Aswesuma benefits. They suggested that the beneficiaries of Aswesuma be selected through local committees and that the list of selected beneficiaries be publicly displayed within the respective village to ensure transparency in the process.
Officials involved in implementing the Aswesuma program stated that certain challenges had arisen due to inadequate information provided to the implementing officers, Divisional Secretaries, and Grama Niladhari officers.
However, they noted that measures are currently being taken to properly inform these officers of their respective roles and to obtain their cooperation in ensuring the successful implementation of the program.
Earlier this month, the World Bank said Sri Lanka’s economy is still not back to where it was in 2018, and while poverty is expected to fall this year, it is still twice as high as it was before the crisis in 2019.
It said that about 22% of the population still lives below the poverty line and another 10% remains just above it. Malnutrition remains a serious concern, while the job market is recovering too slowly, with wages and employment rates still at pre-crisis levels.
