Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually Handicapped (Incorporation) Act 2007

This Act may be cited as the Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually Handicapped (Incorporation) Act, No. 4 of 2007.

From and after the date of commencement of this Act, such and so many persons as are now members of the Sri

Lanka Federation of the Visually Handicapped (hereinafter referred to as the “Federation”) and shall hereafter be admitted members of the Corporation hereby constituted shall be a body corporate (hereinafter referred to as the “Corporation”)

with perpetual succession under the name and style of the

“Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually Handicapped”, 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 in such manner as may be decided by the Executive

Committee of the Corporation.

Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually

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

to unite all visually handicapped people living in

to provide welfare services to the visually handicapped and to seek solutions to common and individual problems confronted by the visually handicapped community;

to inform the State and other organisations with regard to common and individual issues confronted by the visually handicapped community ;

to create awareness among the visually handicapped community on the various services provided for them by the State and other organisation and to assist them to derive benefits from such programmes ;

to create awareness among the general public with regard to the services and assistance required by the visually handicapped community ;

to make appropriate efforts to eliminate misconceptions and false attitudes prevailing in the society regarding blindness and blind people ;

to act as a mediator to find solutions to legal issues confronted by the visually handicapped community ;

to liaise with other organisations having objects similar to those the Corporation ;

to raise funds in order to provide necessary welfare services to the visually handicapped community ;

to act in every possible way to eradicate causes of blindness ;

to establish and maintain “homes for the aged”

to establish and maintain rehabilitation centres and welfare centres for the visually handicapped community ; and

to take all other steps as are necessary or desirable for the promotion of all or any of the foregoing objects.

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 whatsoever, as are necessary or desirable for the promotion or furtherance 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 its funds and to engage, employ and dismiss officers and servants required for the carrying out of the objects of the Corporation.

The affairs of the Corporation shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, and the rules in force for the time being of the Corporation be administered by an Executive

The first Executive Committee of the Corporation shall consist of the Members of the Executive Committee of the

It shall be lawful for the Corporation, from time 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

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

The members of the Corporation shall be subject to the rules of the Corporation.

All debts and liabilities of the Federation existing on the day immediately preceding the date of commencement of this Act shall be paid and discharged by the Corporation, and all debts due to, and subscriptions and contributions payable to the Federation on that day shall be paid to the

Corporation for the purposes of this Act.

The Corporation shall be able and capable in law to acquire and hold any property movable or immovable which may become vested in it by virtue, of any purchase, grant,

Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually gift, testamentary disposition or otherwise and all such property shall be held by the Corporation for the purposes of this Act and subject to the rules of the Corporation with full power to sell, mortgage, lease, exchange or otherwise dispose of, the same.

The Seal of the Corporation shall not be affixed to any instrument whatsoever, except in the presence of such number of office bearers as may be provided for in the rules of the Corporation who shall 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 any body politic or 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.

Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually