Cabinet approval had been granted for the proposal presented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to establish the proposed “office for the affairs of Sri Lankans living abroad” and to take necessary steps for the smooth operation of the office under the Presidential Secretariat enabling the receipt of assistance from about 3 million Sri Lankans living abroad.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, In the Interim Budget 2022, proposed to establish an office for the affairs of Sri Lankans living abroad, as a central coordination center, to get their assistance to the country.
Earlier, the Central Bank requested Sri Lankans abroad to donate foreign exchange in order to purchase essential items. Accordingly, donations can be made to any account maintained by the Central Bank.
Meanwhile, the Central Bank ensured that all foreign exchange donations will only be used for the import of essential items such as medicine, fuel and food.
The Central Bank Governor has appointed a senior committee consisting of three senior officials of the Central Bank in order to maintain the transparency of the foreign exchange receipts and their usage. The financial statement of all foreign exchange received is monthly published by the committee on the official website of Central Bank.
The Central Bank will also subject these financial transactions to an independent audit and publish bi-weekly updated account donation details.
