Jeyaraj Fernandopulle Foundation (Incorporation) Act 2007

This Act may be cited as the Jeyaraj Fernandopulle

Foundation (Incorporation) Act, No. 34 of 2007.

From and after the date of commencement of this

Act, such and so many persons as now are members of the

“Jeyaraj Fernandopulle Foundation” (hereinafter referred to as the “Foundation”) or shall hereafter be admitted as members of the Corporation hereby constituted, shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession, under the name and style of the “Jeyaraj Fernandopulle Foundation”

(hereinafter referred to as the “Corporation”) and by that name may sue, and be sued, in all courts, with full power and authority to have, and use a common seal and to alter the same at its pleasure.

The general objects for which the Corporation is constituted are hereby declared to be—

to give assistance, prizes and scholarships to needy school children to enable them to continue their education, encourage them to attend school regularly, assist them in their educational, cultural and scientific activities and to establish permanent and mobile libraries;

to organize seminars, workshops, lecturers, exhibitions, competitive tests and educational tours with a view to promoting the educational activities of school children and to hold competitions and training camps in order to improve their sports skills and artistic skills and to take steps, including the award of prizes and certificates and giving assistance for local or foreign tours to talented children;

to offer prizes and organize workshops and seminars, and provide loan schemes and other assistance to school principals and teachers, in order to appreciate and encourage their services and to improve their professional knowledge;

to take necessary steps to promote artistic creations, sports skills and teachnical knowledge of school leavers and to set up vocational training centers as well as give them assistance to persue studies in computer science and technology and to establish institutions to provide such studies;

to assist by granting scholarships to students selected to Universities and Technical Colleges and to establish self-employment opportunities for unemployed citizens and to provide loans and to inaugurate various savings schemes;

to inaugurate and maintain pre-schools for early childhood development of the poor children, inaugurate and maintain classes in various languages and various subjects for elders, school children, school leavers and provide them with other facilities;

to provide lands and houses to families who do not own lands and houses, inaugurate water supply schemes in areas where there is a shortage of water, take steps to prevent and minimize natural disasters

to assist in the development of educational, religious, cultural, aesthetic and sports facilities without any reference to race, religion or caste and to conduct various festivals and competitions;

to provide medical relief and food for the poor, destitute and sick persons, establish and maintain houses for displaced persons and elders and establish and maintain Children’s home and day care centres for children and elders;

to promote, arrange and organize exhibitions, lectures, seminars, discussions, workshops, debates, panel discussions, tours, pleasure trips or such other activities with a view to accomplishing the objectives of the Corporation and to print, publish and distribute such books, journals, bulletins and newspapers as are necessaty to achieve these objects;

to provide facilities for the blind, deaf and dumb by the establishment and maintenance of transit houses; and

to liaise and co-ordinate with other local or foreign institutions which have similar objects.

The affairs of the Corporation shall, subject to the other provisions of this Act and the rules in force for the time being of the Corporation, be administered by a Board of Directors consisting of Chairman and a Secretary,

The founder member of the Foundation, Honourable

The first Board of Directors of the Corporation shall consist of the members of the Board of Administration of the

A member of the Board of Directors other than the

Subject to the provisions of this Act and any other written law, the Corporation shall have the power to do, perform and execute, all such acts, matters and things as are necessary or desirable for the promotion or futherance of the objects of the Corporation or any one of them, including the power to open, operate and close bank accounts, to borrow or raise money with or without security, to receive or collect grants and donations, to invest funds and to engage, employ and dismiss, officers and servants required for the carrying out of the objects of the Corporation.

It shall be lawful for the Corporation from to time, at any General Meeting of the members and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting to make rules, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act or any other written law, for all or any of the following matters:—

Any rule made by the Corporation may be amended, altered, added to or rescinded at a like meeting and in like manner as a rule made under subsection (1).

Every member of the Corporation shall be subject to the rules of the Corporation.

All debts and liabilities of the Foundation existing on the day preceding the date of commencement of this Act shall be paid and discharged by the Corporation hereby constituted and all debts due to, subscriptions and contributions payable to the Foundation on that date shall be paid to the Corporation for the purposes of the Act.

The Corporation shall have its own fund and all moneys heretofore or hereafter to be received by way of gifts, bequest, donation, subscription, contribution, fees or grants for and on account of the Corporation shall be deposited to the credit of the Corporation in one or more banks as the

There shall be paid out of the fund, all sums of money required to defray any expenditure incurred by the

The Corporation shall be able and capable in law, to acquire and hold any property both movable or immovable which may become vested in it by virtue of purchase, grant, lease, gift, testementary disposition or otherwise, and all such property shall be held by the Corporation for the purposes of this Act, and be subject to the rules in force for the time being of the Corporation and the Corporation shall have full power to sell, mortgage, lease, exchange or otherwise dispose of the same.

No member of the Corporation shall for the purpose of discharging the debts and liabilities of the Corporation or for any other purpose be liable to make any contribution exceeding the amount due from such member as membership fees.

If upon the dissolution of the Corporation there remains after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever, such property shall not be distributed among the members of the Corporation, but shall be given or transferred to some other institution or institutions having objects similar to those of the Corporation and which are by the rules thereof prohibited from distributing any income or property among their members. Such institution or institutions shall be determined by the members of the

Corporation at, or immediately before the time of the dissolution.

The Board of Directors of the Corporation shall cause proper accounts to be kept of all moneys received and expended by the Corporation.

The financial year of the Corporation shall be the calendar year.

The accounts of the Corporation shall be examined and audited at least once in every year by an auditor or auditors appointed by the Board of Directors.

The seal of the Corporation shall not be affixed to any instrument whatsoever except in the presence of the

Chairman and one other member of the Board of Directors, who shall write and sign their names to the instrument in token of their presence and such signing shall be independent of the signing of any person as a witness.

Nothing in this Act contained shall prejudice or affect the rights of the Republic or of any body politic, corporate or of any other persons.

In the event of any inconsistency between the

Sinhala and Tamil texts of this Act, the Sinhala text shall prevail.