The Committee on Public Finance instructed the officials of the Welfare Benefits Board to amend the existing criteria to make the Aswesuma Welfare Benefits Payment Scheme more effective, Parliament said.

Since various issues have arisen in relation to the existing 22 criteria used to determine the eligibility of individuals for the current Aswesuma Welfare Benefits Payment Scheme, officials have been instructed to take measures to select future Aswesuma beneficiaries, under a new criteria.

These matters were discussed when the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF), chaired by Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva, met on 08.01.2026.

At this meeting, the extension of the Aswesuma Welfare Benefits Payment Scheme, declared under Section 9 of the Welfare Benefits Act No. 24 of 2002, as published in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2467/03 dated 15.12.2025, was considered.

At that point, it was stated that among the categories of transitional, vulnerable, poor and extremely poor beneficiaries who received benefits under the Aswesuma Scheme, the provision of benefits to the transitional category ended on 30 April 2025. Accordingly, officials of the Welfare Benefits Board stated that under the proposed new amendments to the Aswesuma Welfare Benefits Payment Scheme, benefits will be paid to the vulnerable, poor and extremely poor categories. However, considering the potential socio-economic issues that may arise in the future due to unexpected disaster situations, the officials further stated that payments to the vulnerable category, which were scheduled to end on 31.12.2025, are proposed to be extended until June 2026. Furthermore, they informed the Committee that assistance provided to persons with disabilities, persons receiving kidney assistance, and elderly assistance will continue.

During the discussions, the Committee inquired from the officials of the Department of Samurdhi Development regarding the tasks carried out by the Department. The officials stated that necessary activities and projects are being implemented for the systematic empowerment of two million families. The Committee also inquired regarding the annual expenditure incurred for administrative processes, including the payment of salaries of the Department of Samurdhi Development. Accordingly, officials informed the Committee that approximately over Rs. 22 billion is spent annually and that Rs. 27.38 billion has been allocated for the year 2026 for salaries and relevant empowerment activities.

Expressing views at this point, the Chair of the Committee questioned how effective it is to allocate a significantly large sum of money for administrative activities, including salaries, compared to the empowerment activities carried out by the Department of Samurdhi Development. The Chair further questioned whether any post-review or evaluation has been conducted regarding the community development projects implemented by the Department. The officials informed the Committee that no such evaluation has been carried out. Accordingly, the Committee on Public Finance recommended to the Ministry of Finance that all welfare and development programmes carried out by the Department of Samurdhi Development, including all other welfare projects, be subjected to an independent evaluation.

Participating in this meeting were Deputy Ministers Nishantha Jayaweera and (Dr.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne, and Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Nimal Palihena, Chithral Fernando, Attorney-at-Law, Wijesiri Basnayake, Sunil Rajapaksha, Thilina Samarakoon, and Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney-at-Law, along with several others.

The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Agriculture and Resource Sustainability focused its attention on the progress of distributing compensation received in relation to the damage caused by the X-Press Pearl vessel, including payments made to fishermen and expenditures on coastal conservation, according to a statement issued by parliament yesterday (13).

Accordingly, the Committee recommended that a comprehensive report be submitted detailing the total amount of compensation received to date, the amount paid as compensation to fishermen, the amount spent on coastal protection activities, and the balance of funds remaining at present.

This matter was taken up when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Agriculture, and Resource Sustainability met in Parliament on 8th January 2026, under the chairmanship of Member of Parliament Hector Appuhamy.

During the meeting, the Committee also inquired into the progress of legal proceedings instituted in Sri Lanka and Singapore in relation to the damage caused by the vessel. Discussions were held on the manner in which legal action was initiated in Singapore, independently of the legal proceedings undertaken in Sri Lanka.

The Chairman of the Committee emphasised the need to organise a programme to brief all Members of Parliament on developments related to this matter in the future.

Consultant Editor/Defence columnist of The Sunday Times Iqbal Athas passed away yesterday at the age of 81. His remains were placed at No. 11/C, Siriwardena Road, Hill Street, Dehiwala, from 9.00 am, for the general public to pay their final respects, and the final rites were held at the Dehiwela Grand Mosque Burial Grounds at 3.00pm.

Widely regarded as a leading columnist on military and political affairs, Athas earned international recognition for his incisive reporting. Athas received several prestigious international awards during his career. In 1994, he was honoured with the International Press Freedom Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In 2007, he was awarded the Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award for his contribution to CNN’s coverage of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.