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From Mohammed Rasooldeen in Riyadh

The Sevana Sarana Foster Parent's Scheme was launched by Minister of Mass Communication, Imthiaz Bakeer Markar at a banquet held in his honour by the Sri Lankan Expatriates Society (SLES) on Sunday.

SLES President, S. K. Subaramaniam adopted the first child under the scheme and was followed by Sri Lanka's Ambassador Ibrahim Sahib Ansar and other leading community members.

A total of 50 deserving children were adopted during the inauguration. The society hopes to enlist the cooperation of the other community members to contribute under the project to assist the scheme conducted by the Department of Probation and Child Care Services.

Inaugurating the project Markar said this is a good opportunity for affluent Sri Lankans in the Kingdom to help poor children who cannot pursue their studies due to poverty and stringent circumstances.

The Minister said that this project was originally the vision of President Ranasinghe Premadasa who did a lot to alleviate the sufferings of the poor.

Mass Communication Ministry Secretary, Kumar Abeysinghe appealed to all Sri Lankans in the kingdom to support the peace proposals.

He recalled the pre-peace proposal period where people lived in fear of bombs, devastation and with a sense of uneasiness. He said the government has a vision for the future. Projects and plans will be implemented gradually for the betterment of all Sri Lankans living in the island and abroad, Abeysinghe said.

Ansar said Sri Lankans in the kingdom have been recognised by the Sri Lankan Government for their generosity in helping the distressed in their motherland.

Subramaniam outlined the SLES's welfare activities and emphasised that the society is geared to work for the welfare of Sri Lankans living in Sri Lanka and in the Kingdom.

Former SLES President, Saifuddeen Thassim spoke about the minister's dedication in serving the Sri Lankans without discrimination. He told the ministerial delegation to formulate a scheme to assist families of housemaids working abroad.

The Minister and Muslim delegates in his team visited the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah and performed Umrah in Mecca.

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