 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(December 2023) |
| This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(June 2023) |
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.
Sri Lanka has a universal health care system that is free for any one using it, including both citizens and non-citizens. It is publicly funded and run by Ministry of Health. This includes both dental care and community medicine.
Social security benefits are administered by the Department of Social Services. As of 2022, they include: [1]
The government provides State housing and land to those in need.
Primary and secondary education is free in Sri Lanka and is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and the Provincial Governments. Undergraduate education in state universities are free, but limited to less than 10% of the student population.
State sector, some state owned and private sector organizations provides pensions for employees who retire at that ages between 55 and 62 years, having complete a number of years of service (e.g. 30 years). Pensions are granted after lesser terms of service for certain groups such as member of parliaments (5 years) and military personnel (10 years).
Private provident funds existed in the private sector, with some companies contributing on a voluntary basis until 1958, when the Employees' Provident Fund was established by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike following the enactment of the Employees' Provident Fund Act No 15 of 1958 which established the Employees' Provident Fund which made it compulsory for all employers and employees to contribute if not employed in a pensionable role. This was further supplemented by the Employees' Trust Fund in 1981.
Females are entitled for paid maternity leave in both the state and private sector with the employer responsible for payment of their wages during the period of leave. In addition, mothers are allowed a daily time allowance to feed babies until they reach one year of age.
A pension fund, also known as a superannuation fund in some countries, is any program, fund, or scheme which provides retirement income.
A welfare state is a form of government in which the state protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for citizens unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good life.
Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance programs which provide support only to those who have previously contributed, as opposed to social assistance programs which provide support on the basis of need alone. The International Labour Organization defines social security as covering support for those in old age, support for the maintenance of children, medical treatment, parental and sick leave, unemployment and disability benefits, and support for sufferers of occupational injury.
Social welfare, assistance for the ill or otherwise disabled and the old, has long been provided in Japan by both the government and private companies. Beginning in the 1920s, the Japanese government enacted a series of welfare programs, based mainly on European models, to provide medical care and financial support. During the post-war period, a comprehensive system of social security was gradually established. Universal health insurance and a pension system were established in 1960.
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is one of the two main social security organization under the Government of India's Ministry of Labour and Employment and is responsible for regulation and management of provident funds in India, the other being Employees' State Insurance. The EPFO administers the retirement plan for employees in India, which comprises the mandatory provident fund, a basic pension scheme and a disability/death insurance scheme. It also manages social security agreements with other countries. International workers are covered under EPFO plans in countries where bilateral agreements have been signed. As of May 2021, 19 such agreements are in place. The EPFO's top decision-making body is the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), a statutory body established by the Employees' Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions (EPF&MP) Act, 1952. As of 2021, more than ₹15.6 lakh crore are under EPFO management.
Social welfare in Sweden is made up of several organizations and systems dealing with welfare. It is mostly funded by taxes, and executed by the public sector on all levels of government as well as private organizations. It can be separated into three parts falling under three different ministries. Social welfare is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. Education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Research. The labour market is the responsibility of the Ministry of Employment.
The Mandatory Provident Fund, often abbreviated as MPF (強積金), is a compulsory saving scheme for the retirement of residents in Hong Kong. Most employees and their employers are required to contribute monthly to mandatory provident fund schemes provided by approved private organisations, according to their salaries and the period of employment.
Social welfare has long been an important part of New Zealand society and a significant political issue. It is concerned with the provision by the state of benefits and services. Together with fiscal welfare and occupational welfare, it makes up the social policy of New Zealand. Social welfare is mostly funded through general taxation. Since the 1980s welfare has been provided on the basis of need; the exception is universal superannuation.
The Italian welfare state is based partly upon the corporatist-conservative model and partly upon the universal welfare model.
India has a robust social security legislative framework governing social security, encompassing multiple labour laws and regulations. These laws govern various aspects of social security, particularly focusing on the welfare of the workforce. The primary objective of these measures is to foster sound industrial relations, cultivate a high-quality work environment, ensure legislative compliance, and mitigate risks such as accidents and health concerns. Moreover, social security initiatives aim to safeguard against social risks such as retirement, maternity, healthcare and unemployment while tax-funded social assistance aims to reduce inequalities and poverty. The Directive Principles of State Policy, enshrined in Part IV of the Indian Constitution reflects that India is a welfare state. Food security to all Indians are guaranteed under the National Food Security Act, 2013 where the government provides highly subsidised food grains or a food security allowance to economically vulnerable people. The system has since been universalised with the passing of The Code on Social Security, 2020. These cover most of the Indian population with social protection in various situations in their lives.
Social security is divided by the French government into five branches: illness; old age/retirement; family; work accident; and occupational disease. From an institutional point of view, French social security is made up of diverse organismes. The system is divided into three main Regimes: the General Regime, the Farm Regime, and the Self-employed Regime. In addition there are numerous special regimes dating from prior to the creation of the state system in the mid-to-late 1940s.
Welfare in France includes all systems whose purpose is to protect people against the financial consequences of social risks.
Social security or welfare in Finland is very comprehensive compared to what almost all other countries provide. In the late 1980s, Finland had one of the world's most advanced welfare systems, which guaranteed decent living conditions to all Finns. Created almost entirely during the first three decades after World War II, the social security system was an outgrowth of the traditional Nordic belief that the state is not inherently hostile to the well-being of its citizens and can intervene benevolently on their behalf. According to some social historians, the basis of this belief was a relatively benign history that had allowed the gradual emergence of a free and independent peasantry in the Nordic countries and had curtailed the dominance of the nobility and the subsequent formation of a powerful right wing. Finland's history was harsher than the histories of the other Nordic countries but didn't prevent the country from following their path of social development.
India operates a complex pension system. There are however three major pillars to the Indian pension system: the solidarity social assistance called the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) for the elderly poor, the civil servants pension and the mandatory defined contribution pension programs run by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation of India for private sector employees and employees of state owned companies, and several voluntary plans.
Social welfare in Romania is coordinated by the Romanian Ministry of Labor, Family and Social Protection. The system is funded from the state budget. There are roughly fifty types of welfare a Romanian citizen can receive. In 2015, it was estimated that 7 million Romanians receive some form of welfare benefits. In 2017, the budget granted for social welfare at the ministerial level was of 35.71 billion lei.
The Employees' Provident Fund, abbreviated to EPF, is a social security scheme of employees in Sri Lanka under the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. It was established under Act No. 15 of 1958 by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, and as of December 2010, it had Rs 899.6 billion, which is equivalent to 16% of the GDP. The EPF offers a joint action plan by the employer and the employee to save money by targeting retirement and future to the government as well as the private sector. EPF invests in most Sri Lankan private companies such as Vallible One and Commercial Bank of Ceylon.
The Employees' Trust Fund (ETF) is a social security programme established on 1 March 1981 under the Act No.46 of 1980 by the Parliament of the Sri Lanka.
South Korea's pension scheme was introduced relatively recently, compared to other democratic nations. Half of the country's population aged 65 and over lives in relative poverty, or nearly four times the 13% average for member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This makes old age poverty an urgent social problem. Public social spending by general government is half the OECD average, and is the lowest as a percentage of GDP among OECD member countries.
Welfare in Peru began on a base of democratic views. Its political system is a multi-party system that includes having a President and Prime Minister. The economy of Peru has expanded substantially throughout the years making it one of the fastest growing economies. As described by Gøsta Esping-Andersen, in his book The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, the Peruvian welfare system would most commonly fit in with the liberal model, since Peru mostly attempts to emancipate the less fortunate from poverty, through means of state-cultivated programs. In accordance, the welfare system has shown great expansion, with the focus primarily on education, healthcare, and the creation of a social safety net.
Cyprus is a high income country with a well established and extensive welfare system. The Social Insurance Scheme ensures access to healthcare, income support, and pensions, with mandatory contributions for all employees and employers. Income support is means tested on the basis of total family income and assets, which often places the burden of care on the family unit before the state provides assistance. There is also an obligation to seek work. The pension system is fairly comprehensive, yet may still leave some in the private sector unsupported.
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