The appeal process of the Aswesuma welfare programme is another eyewash and a ploy brought into suppress the agitation of the people against the welfare programme, NPP MP Vijitha Herath said today.
He told a news conference that the shortcoming of the selection process was not a fault of the officials or anyone else but a policy error of the government.
"It is planned to remove 400,000 families after six months. Another 400,000 vulnerable families will be removed from the welfare programme by the end of March 2024. Rest of the 800,000 families will be paid Rs. 8,500 for three years. Even the extremely poor families will lose the welfare benefits after three years," he said.
The MP said, instead of giving welfare benefits to the poor to survive when the country is hit by acute economic downfall, the government has removed their benefits following the condition of the IMF.
He said the government should launch a strong social safety net during an acute economic crisis and urged the government to stop the programme to deprive the poor of their welfare benefits.
(Ajith Siriwardana)
Appeal process another ploy to suppress mounting agitation: NPP
