Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2015-09-22

Use of Information Technology (IT) in order to implement Safety Net and Social Welfare Programmes Effectively

The Government annually allocates a considerable amount of funds for social welfare, safety net programmes and pensions. These programmes are designed to protect citizens from the economic risks. These programmes provide benefits to the elderly or retired, the sick or invalid, dependents, mothers, the unemployed, the work-injured, school children etc. The proposal made by Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, the Minister of Finance, to make use of Information Technology for the monitoring and management of all welfare programmes under a Centralized Unit to ensure that these programmes achieve their set objectives, the efficient management of subsidy dispensed by these welfare programmes and the distribution of subsidies to the right beneficiaries, was approved by the Cabinet.