Industries and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunnetti has stirred controversy by describing the Aswesuma welfare programme as a form of “legal begging.”
Speaking at a public meeting, Minister Handunnetti said that accepting Aswesuma benefits should not be a matter of pride, noting that Sri Lanka’s development depends on ending what he termed a “dependency mentality.”
“Those who accept Aswesuma should be ashamed. It is like begging legally,” he declared, emphasizing that national development requires empowering people through entrepreneurship and industry, not continued welfare reliance.
Handunnetti said that the government does not intend to continue the Aswesuma programme indefinitely or use it as a political slogan.
“The goal should be to end Aswesuma through a clear plan. I would be happy to see the day when this subsidy no longer exists,” he said, stressing that reforms should be implemented carefully and not imposed on the poor.
Leave a comment