News
Official: Many Aswesuma beneficiaries handicapped without bank accounts
A significant number of people eligible for Aswesuma social security benefits do not have bank accounts and therefore the government failed to implement the initiative by 31 July as planned, a member of the Board of Directors of the Welfare Benefits Board Kamal Padmasiri says.
Padmasiri said, in a televised interview, on Thursday, that over 680,000 new accounts had been created by the end of July.There had been instances where the national identity card numbers were found to be duplicated, he said.
“Bank accounts have been duplicated. There are about 4,500 such accounts,” he said.
Padmasiri said they had asked for bank account numbers when the government called for applications for Aswesuma benefits. Some people had given bank accounts of their children and money could not be withdrawn from them until the account holders turned 18 years.
“There have also been issues with data entry. We make fund transfers straight to the banks and need accurate data. If we deposit money in wrong accounts that could essentially be a violation of financial regulations,” he said.
A large number of people who applied for benefits had been under the impression that they would receive cash and in late July and even early August a large number of people had queued up near banks to open accounts, Padmasiri said.
“Some people said we could use the Samurdhi bank to distribute money. The Central Bank said we must use banks that had the ability to process cheques. So, we could only use commercial banks. But a large number of people didn’t open accounts. Over 680,000 out of two million waited until late July to open accounts at selected state banks. There were long lines opposite banks, overwhelming the banking staff. Some people furnished wrong NIC numbers and there were issues with data entry. We do direct transfers and we need good data,” Padmasiri said, noting that Aswesuma payments could be made for everyone from next week.
According to the scheme, the selected beneficiaries will receive Rs. 15, 000, Rs. 8, 500, and Rs. 5,000 from the four selected state banks, the Regional Development Bank (RDB), National Savings Bank (NSB), Bank of Ceylon (BOC) and the People’s Bank.
“In about 10 days, we will be able to finalise data and tell people the number of total beneficiaries and the categories they are in, etc.,” he said.
Padmasiri said that there had been over 217,000 appeals. However, given that there were over 340 divisional secretariats, sorting out these appeals would not take a lot of time, he said. (RK)
The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) yesterday demanded an immediate termination of what it called a “secretive and dangerous” defence agreement signed between Sri Lanka and India, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 05 April visit.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Nugegoda, FSP Education Secretary Pubudu Jagoda described the agreement as a “betrayal of the nation” and a “crime against the people,” urging the government to invoke Article 12 of the deal and exit it with the required three months’ notice.
Jagoda said the document, which surfaced on social media after being published by a news portal, appears to be the actual agreement signed between the two countries. “The government has not denied its authenticity. That silence is telling,” he said.
Jagoda added that the agreement bears the signatures of Sri Lanka’s Defence Ministry Secretary Sampath Thuiyakontha and Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha.
“What’s most troubling,” Jagoda warned, “is that both governments attempted to keep the agreement under wraps. Unlike the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord, which was made public with all annexures, this agreement was hidden from the people, and even now, we don’t know how many other agreements exist between India and Sri Lanka.”
Jagoda said that a Right to Information request made on 04 April was met with a reply from the President’s Office stating that it had no copies of the agreement—raising serious concerns about transparency, even at the highest level. “One could question whether the President has seen it because his office does not have it,” Jagoda said.
The 12-clause of agreement reportedly covers areas such as exchange and training of military personnel, defence industry collaboration, classified information protection, and military medical services, including battlefield healthcare and telemedicine.
Jagoda said the definition of “classified information” in Clause 7 was alarmingly broad. “It allows India to label virtually anything as secret. Even weapons or military assets transferred under this agreement cannot be revealed—not even after the agreement ends,” he said, citing Clause 7.3.
Clause 10 prohibits either country from taking disputes to international courts or involving third-party mediators. “It’s like asking a rabbit to negotiate with a tiger,” Jagoda quipped, drawing parallels to the complications of the 1987 accord, which eventually saw Indian peacekeeping troops refusing to leave until a change in the Indian government.
Jagoda accused the NPP-led government of hypocrisy, pointing out that the JVP, the main component of the current regime, had vehemently opposed Indo-Lanka Accord in 1987. “Now they’ve gone and signed an even more dangerous deal,” he said.
Citing Clause 12, which allows either party to withdraw with three months’ notice, the FSP called on the government to act immediately to exit the pact. “We urge the people to unite and defeat these underhanded, sovereignty-eroding deals. The FSP stands ready to lead that fight,” Jagoda said.
The police yesterday arrested a group of students, including the Convener of the Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF), Madushan Chandradith, during a protest held by the Allied Health Science Graduates’ Union in front of the Health Ministry yesterday.
The police obtained an order from Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court, earlier in the day, to prevent protesters from invading the Colombo Hospital Square and the Health Ministry.
Inspector General of Police T.M.W. Deshabandu Tennakoon is set to face formal questioning on Monday (19 May) over serious allegations of misconduct and abuse of power, parliamentary sources said yesterday.
A special Committee appointed to investigate the claims will commence formal proceedings next week, following several rounds of preliminary discussions held within the parliamentary complex in recent weeks.
The IGP has been officially notified to appear before the Committee and is expected to face the inquiry for the first time at 2:00 PM in Committee Room No. 8.
The Committee, which met again on Thursday (15) to finalise arrangements, is investigating allegations that Tennakoon misused his official powers in a manner deemed severe and improper.
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