Ranil says no more Samurdhi for the ineligible - another plan to save Rajapakses' robbed money ?

In an attempt to ensure that the most deserving sectors of the population, including those who have been on the pending Samurdhi allowance lists for a prolonged period receive their due support, the Government intends to stop providing the Samurdhi allowance to those who are currently receiving it but have failed to meet the required criteria.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday (1), President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted that there were a considerable number of recipients of the Samurdhi allowance who are not eligible to receive it. As a result, he said it has become difficult for the Government to provide the Samurdhi allowance to those who are in actual need of relief. 

“There are some who have been on pending lists for about 20 years. This is not something that we should do. First, we should decide who is eligible to receive this allowance, and how to add new beneficiaries. Some may view it as a political activity, but we should in fact provide the Samurdhi allowance to those who really are in need of it. Those who do not meet the required criteria should be taken off the programme,” he said.

Claiming that the Government is not in a position to distribute relief to everyone, President Wickremesinghe said that he had accepted the challenge of rebuilding the society and economy even though it is something that is difficult to do. Therefore, even if certain decisions will not be popular, he said that Parliament should have the strength to carry out the relevant programmes.

Those who are already receiving Samurdhi benefits – the elderly, disabled, and kidney patients’ welfare benefits as well as those who are seeking new welfare benefits were recently advised by the Government to register for the “Leave No One Behind” welfare programme. According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), the said programme had received a total of 2.3 million applications by October 2022, and the Government estimates that 3.9 million families would apply for the programme.