Sri Lanka will introduce a digital payment system to provide the Rs. 20,000 allowance for expectant mothers, currently distributed through the Divisional Secretariats, as a digital voucher to their mobile phones.
The current Pregnant Mother Welfare Programme that provides vouchers to the value of Rs. 2000 monthly to the pregnant mothers during pregnancy will be digitalized as a mobile payment voucher system from May 2018, the Policy Development Office said.
Currently, a pregnant mother receives a voucher for 2,000 rupees each month during her ten months, which will total up to 20,000 rupees at the end. The vouchers are issued by the Divisional Secretariats for the mothers to buy their needs from the merchants recommended by the authorities. The current procedure is that the beneficiaries have to go to the Divisional Secretaries' office in person, in order to collect their vouchers.
Under the digital payment system, the mother will receive a digital voucher to her mobile each month, so that she can buy her needs using that digital voucher. There will be a value addition to all the stakeholders of the program; the beneficiaries, merchants registered under the program, and the government.
The digital system will be introduced in collaboration with the Ministry of Women & Child Affairs, Ministry of Telecommunication & Digital Infrastructure, ICTA, Dialog Axiata Plc & SLT Mobitel Pvt. Ltd under the coordination of Central Programme Management Unit (CPMU) of Ministry of National Policies & Economic Affairs.
This system will add value to the existing system by minimizing the waiting time to the beneficiaries, reducing administrative procedures and increasing transparency to the Government.
The pilot project will be implemented in Kolonnawa, Badulla and Thihagoda areas in April.
Source: http://www.colombopage.com/archive_18A/Mar28_1522247213CH.php