“Shrama Vasana” Scholarship Awarding Ceremony, organised by the Shrama Vasana Fund under the purview of the Ministry of Labour, was held recently (12) at the Ministry of Labour, located at the “Mehewara Piyesa” Building, Narahenpita, under the patronage of the Hon. Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Mr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, and the Hon. Deputy Minister, Mr. Mahinda Jayasinghe.
The Shrama Vasana Fund has, up to now during this year, awarded scholarships to 49 students, and under this scholarship awarding ceremony, financial benefits were provided to a further 23 students. Accordingly, 23 savings deposits, each to the value of Seventy Five Thousand Rupees (Rs. 75,000.00), were granted to the said students. In this regard, the Shrama Vasana Fund stated that if the relevant scholarship recipient has not attained the age of 18 years, the scholarship amount may be withdrawn over a period of five (05) years, at the rate of Rs. 15,000.00 per year. If the scholarship recipient has attained the age of 18 years, the entire amount may be withdrawn in a single instalment, the Fund further pointed out. The Shrama Vasana Fund further emphasised that the objective of this grant is to support and ensure the successful continuation of the scholarship recipient’s future educational pursuits.
An amount of approximately Rs. 1.8 million has been expended by the Shrama Vasana Fund for the purpose of awarding these scholarships. Through such initiatives, the Fund provides the necessary support, particularly to uplift working families, enable them to sustain their livelihoods, and ensure the successful continuation of their children’s educational activities.
The Shrama Vasana Fund implements this scholarship programme under the objective of providing financial and other assistance to employees or their dependents in times of disaster. Accordingly, scholarships were awarded to 23 children from families in which the mother or father had either lost their life or become permanently disabled as a result of an occupational accident while employed at a factory or workplace.
In this country, between 1,600 and 2,000 fatal and non-fatal accidents are reported annually in factories and workplaces. Of these, between 100 and 140 cases involving deaths or permanent disabilities resulting from various occupational accidents that occur while on duty are reported to the Shrama Vasana Fund. Accordingly, scholarships are awarded each year to more than 100 children from the families of such victims, and since the inception of the Fund, “Shrama Vasana” scholarships have been granted to over 2,000 children to date.
