The Welfare Benefits Board (WBB) has announced that Aswesuma benefit payments will be provided only to poor and extremely poor families under the programme’s next phase.
The programme, which was launched in 2023, is currently in its second phase, with data verification and updating processes now underway.
Nearly 1.6 million beneficiaries received assistance under 04 categories when the programme was introduced.
However, payments to 315,000 beneficiaries in the fourth category, classified as the transitional group, were discontinued in April 2025.
In addition, payments to around 425,000 beneficiaries classified under the “vulnerable” category were also discontinued from June 2026.
Assistant Commissioner of the WBB – Ashan Darshaka, said families previously classified under the vulnerable and transitional categories would be eligible to receive benefits again if they are found to be living in poverty or extreme poverty fol