The World Bank Board has approved a $75 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to strengthen Sri Lanka’s Social Safety Net Programme.
This project will contribute to improving the equity, efficiency and transparency of the social safety net.
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 project will also strengthen the government’s capacity to monitor and improve welfare programmes.
The project will be implemented in partnership with the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Social Empowerment and Welfare, and the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA).
As part of the project, data in the registry will be updated periodically, and records will be reviewed to ensure that only eligible beneficiaries remain in the programs. To prevent fraudulent applications, each individual will be identified in the registry using bio-metric technology.
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