Social welfare has long been an important part of Sri Lankan society and a significant political issue. It is concerned with the provision by the state of benefits and services. Social welfare is mostly funded through general taxation.
These include free education, universal healthcare, pensions, unemployment and disability allowances, food subsidies, and housing schemes. Rooted in both socialist policy traditions and post-independence nation-building goals, Sri Lanka’s welfare state has earned it the reputation of a country with one of the most comprehensive social protection systems in South Asia.[1]
- ^ Gunatilleke, G. (2017). Social Protection in Sri Lanka. ILO Working Paper.