Qualified beneficiaries numbering 156,261 are unable to draw their Aswesuma welfare payments due to the lack of bank accounts, a report said.
Sri Lanka’s poverty alleviation program Aswesuma aimed at the poor and vulnerable has made a request to the public asking qualified beneficiaries to open bank accounts, in order to receive the instalments made in July.
Sri Lanka Welfare Benefits Board Chairman Jayantha Wijeratne was quoted as saying the agency was unable to make direct payments to the beneficiaries due to the lack of bank accounts.
According to Wijeratne, by October 16, an amount of Rs. 7,705,302,250.00 has been paid for 1,230,097 families under 5 benefit instalments in July, and the remaining payments related to July will be completed by December.
Beneficiaries who have not opened bank accounts will be given time until December to open accounts and benefit from the instalments that were completed for July.
Beneficiaries have to collect a letter issued by the Aswesuma computer system and present it to any branch of Bank of Ceylon, People’s Bank, National Savings Bank, or Regional Development Bank to open an account.
The names are published at regional secretariat offices in the areas where they applied to get the payments.
Source: Enonomynext
