Aswesuma Benefits Restricted to Poorest Families as Scheme Enters New Phase

The Welfare Benefits Board has announced that the Aswesuma welfare scheme will henceforth provide benefits exclusively to poor and extremely poor families. As the programme, launched in 2023, enters its second phase, beneficiary information is undergoing updates. Payments for the transitional category, affecting 315,000 beneficiaries, were discontinued in April 2025, followed by the vulnerable category (425,000 beneficiaries) in June 2026. A revised list of beneficiaries is scheduled for display in early September 2026, with a 10-day period for appeals before payments commence later that month.