The World Bank board last week approved a $75 million credit to improve the selection, administration and payments within Sri Lanka's welfare programs.
"The Social Safety Nets Project, to be implemented by the Ministry of Finance, will assist the government to develop a single registry of citizens containing information on family structure and economic characteristics. The Welfare Benefits Board, set up to manage the selection and payment of welfare beneficiaries, will develop and apply new selection criteria based on data in the registry," the World Bank said in a statement.
"This will make the identification process fairer and more transparent, and ensure that the benefits reach the intended households. The project will also strengthen the government’s capacity to monitor and improve welfare programs."
"Although program costs have risen gradually over time, the share of the poorest households covered has fallen. Recent analysis conducted by the World Bank shows that Sri Lanka’s welfare programs have had a decreasing impact on poverty over the past decade."
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