Big relief is on the way for elderly cultivators across Sri Lanka. The Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board has arranged to disburse monthly pensions surpassing Rs. 415 million to 170,950 farmers who are 60 years old and above.
These funds are set to be handed out through a network of 3,975 post offices scattered across the island.
Backlog cleared and new payments lined up
Following directives given after the new government took power, the Board has cleared a large backlog of applications handed in before 2024.
For candidates whose papers are fully in order without any flaws, the Board confirmed that pension disbursements are scheduled to start within one month.
Arrears restarted and partial payments reviewed
There is also progress on delayed dues. The government has resumed paying out pension arrears to farmers who reached 60 years of age on or after January 1, 2014, after the process had been temporarily stopped.
The Board noted that these pending sums will be cleared based on the funds released by the Treasury. In addition, officials are re-evaluating cases of contributors who missed regular instalments but still completed over 25 per cent of their required payments, working to calculate and balance out what they are owed.
What happens next
Arrangements have been made to begin pension payments within one month for applicants whose submissions are complete and free of deficiencies, and outstanding payments will be settled in line with funds provided by the Treasury.
