The Government is preparing to introduce a more flexible and attractive pension scheme for Sri Lankan migrant workers, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra told Parliament on Friday (10).
Responding to a private member’s motion moved by MP Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, the Deputy Minister said the new scheme would offer benefits tailored to workers’ employment periods and income levels, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.
Under the proposed scheme, migrant workers will be able to choose between receiving a monthly pension after retirement or a lump-sum payment upon maturity.
Hemachandra said the Kuwait Fund has allocated Rs. 2.1 million for the “Rataviru” pension scheme and expressed confidence that significant progress would be achieved before Dec. 31, 2026.
He also announced plans to introduce a dedicated digital application, in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Technology, to generate official remittance reports for migrant workers.
The application will enable workers to obtain verified records of the money they have legally remitted to Sri Lanka, with those records to be used transparently in calculating pension benefits.
According to the Deputy Minister, around 1.7 million Sri Lankans are currently employed overseas. Although Sri Lanka recorded its highest-ever annual foreign remittance inflow in 2025, only 307 migrant workers have enrolled in the existing pension scheme.
He said the proposed welfare programme will remain voluntary and will be implemented jointly by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and the Ministry of Digital Technology. (Newswire)