Providing false details in ‘Aswesuma’ census could lead to jail

2026-03-13 - 02:57

The Welfare Benefits Board (WBB) has warned that individuals who deliberately provide false information during the census related to the first phase of the “Aswesuma” welfare programme could face up to 01 year of imprisonment if found guilty before a magistrate. The WBB stated that it has begun updating the information of all applicants – both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries – who applied under the first phase of the programme in 2023 and 2024. According to the WBB, 2,993,558 eligible individuals have already submitted their details, while verification and census activities are currently underway. The census process is scheduled to conclude on March 28, WBB noted. It further noted that providing false information to census officials constitutes an offence under Section 20 of the Welfare Benefits Act No. 24 of 2002. Accordingly, if a person is found guilty before a magistrate, the court may impose a fine not exceeding Rs. 5,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 01 year, or both.