Verification process of Samurdhi recipient will be completed soon: State Minister

State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe

Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe yesterday said the information verification process of the three million Samurdhi applications submitted will be concluded in a few weeks.

He said that the Government has taken action to reactivate this project by addressing all transparency-related issues in the Samurdhi Program, which was initiated to improve the living conditions of those in need of financial assistance.

“The identification of the parties who should unquestionably receive this benefit within the legal framework and the assurance that no one is left behind were the goals of the information verification process,” he explained during a discussion held in Anuradhapura yesterday.

The IMF and the World Bank have recognised that several Samurdhi beneficiaries are not below the poverty line and, therefore, not entitled to the benefits. As a result, requesting that the Government create a list of “authentic” beneficiaries.

State Minister Semasinghe said the Finance Ministry and the President’s Office called for Samurdhi applications through an interesting alternative system to identify the most needed parties despite a delay in the progression of the judicial proceedings conducted by different trade unions.

Given the significance of the program, it has drawn attention on a global scale, and thus it is crucial to sustaining the Government’s relief program for people suffering from poverty in developing countries in a more transparent manner.