Donors amass Rs 140 mn for COVID-19 Fund

A large number of organizations and individual donors have contributed towards strengthening the ‘COVID-19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund’.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa established this Fund on March 23 to strengthen the mitigation activities aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19 virus in the country and related social welfare programs.

Creating the Fund, President Rajapaksa donated Rs 100 million from the President’s Fund.

Sri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic) Trust Fund and Malwatta and Asgiriya Chapters donated Rs 20 million to the Fund.

At the present, the Fund has received donations worth Rs 140 million including the contributions, stated President’s Media Division.

Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (Rs 2.5 million), Presidential Secretariat (Rs 200,000), Sri Lanka Engineering Service Association (Rs 6.5 million), Ananda College Old Boys’ Association, Colombo (Rs 2.5 million), Organization of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (Rs 1 million), Association of Public Service Engineers (Rs 3 million), State Engineering Corporation of Sri Lanka (Rs 1 million) and cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan (Rs 5 million) are among the donor who made contributions.

A special account was opened at the Corporate Branch of the Bank of Ceylon under the account number of 85737373. Deposits to the Fund can be made through cheques or telegraphic transfers.

Donations to COVID – 19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund have been exempted from taxes and foreign exchange regulations while both local and foreign donors have made their contributions to the Fund. 

The management of the Healthcare and Social Security Fund will be entrusted to a highly qualified panel of professionals in the fields of administration, finance and banking sectors. The panel will comprise secretaries to the Ministries, Director General of Health Services and audit and banking experts.

Secretary to the President Dr. P. B. Jayasundara emphasized that this would be an opportunity for the local and foreign companies to make their contributions towards this humanitarian mission.