Providing Compensation for the acquisition of land belonging to temples and other religious sites by the government for national purposes, now falls under the Public Trustee. According to Act 2,3 provision of The Temple Lands (compensation) Ordinance 1944 (no.28, 1944).
The temple compensation division was initially assigned to deal with all areas related to the Temple Ordinance before the department specifically began work on Buddhist affairs. All Buddhist affairs were assigned to the then-appointed Buddhist Commissioner under the Buddhist Temporalities (Amendment) Act (No 42 of 1981) till the division took control. All compensations the division receives according to the Temple lands (compensations) ordinance will be released for tasks that has received the approval of the Buddhist Commissioner under the Temple Ordinance Amendment bill.
The Foreign Compensation Division holds the responsibility of ensuring that the arrears and other compensations that are released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, given to the relevant family members of the deceased individual (that has perished outside the country borders).
Further, the division must look into carrying out the following duties:
- Opening a fixed deposit account to place inheritance a minor would be receiving under such circumstance (mentioned above).
- Release accumulating interests of the created fixed deposits.
- Earn the applicable government fees for the services provided.
Duties:
(1) Distribute the arrears and the compensation cheques released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, should a citizen of Sri Lanka lose their life outside the country.
1.1 Submit all necessary documents to obtain compensations.
1.2 Maintain a file for all the records.
1.3 Present the appropriate forms to receive an account number from the Finance Affairs Board.
1.4 Ensure the relevant documents are completed (under the 31 ordinance of the Public Trustee) to place the money in the created account.
1.5 Post a letter, requesting the presence of the family or non-family member (left to inherit) for an inquiry session.
1.6 Once the members attend the inquiry session, the division will assess all documents and obtain all relevant records (photocopies of the papers) where necessary.
1.7 Should any of the documentation presented by the deceased individual’s party the following steps must be taken by the division to create a solution.
- Direct the attending party of individuals towards the Public Trustee.
- Inquire the Counselling Unit of the Ministry of Education
- Should any incomplete documentation/forms be found inform the relevant party to provide the completed documents as soon as possible.
- Hold a special meeting with the Public Trustee officials to sort out any obscure issues highlighted in the submitted record(s).
1.8 Collect details on the arrears, compensations collected and how it will be divided and generate a report. Submit the report to the Deputy Public Trustees to obtain a recommendation and finally to the Public Trustee for final approval.
1.9 Once the report is approved, the payment vouchers will be arranged and re-submitted for approval.
1.10 All approved voucher will be presented to the head of Finance to be passed.
1.11 The confirmed vouchers, will then be directed to the Finance Division who will create the cheques accordingly.
1.12 Notify the relevant individuals receiving the cheques, a time and date for collection as well as identity confirmation of the members to prevent any imposters.
(2) To create and maintain fixed deposits for underage inheritors.
2.1 All arranged cheques will be directed to the financial division to initiate fixed deposit accounts for minors.
(3) Release all under-age accounts upon maturity.
3.1 Obtain all details and documentation required (File number/ copy of Deposit Certification/ National ID Copy/ Letter of Request/ Copy of Birth Certificate)
3.2 Obtain the opening file of the account
3.3 Filling all documentation and creating a cover letter and sending it to the bank branch the account was opened. (Have all forms entered in the computer records system)
3.4 Send that cover letter (with a copy) the Public Trustee to obtain his signature of approval.
(4) Release the interests of the under-age beneficiary account deposits.
4.1 Obtain all details and documentation required (File number/copy of Deposit Certificate / National ID Copy/Letter of Request/Child Expense Estimates or document stating the reasons/copy of Birth Certificate)
4.2 Obtain information from the relevant bank branches on the interest amount (which can be released from the bank deposit)
4.3 Provide relevant numbers on the interest amounts that has to be updated to the Public Trustee. (In order to be advised on the steps to follow)
4.4 The division will prepare a cover letter which will be delivered to the bank in question once the Public Trustee has released the numbers with advice and recommendations.
4.5 The applications will be completed and submitted by the division and arrangements made for the interests to be collected on a monthly- basis.
4.6 Send that cover letter (with a copy) to the Public Trustee to obtain his signature of approval.
(5) Collecting the Departmental Fees.
5.1 Complete the assignment forms and hand them to the Accounts Division once the compensation and arrears payments are complete.
The Plantations and other Agricultural Land Entrusted by various donors to the Department of Public Trustee consists of 11 Estates, Paddy Lands totaling up to 862 Acres in extent. They consist of Tea, Rubber, and Coconut & Paddy Lands while being located in various parts of the Island. The Estate Division which administers these Estates/Lands on behalf of the Public Trustee has planned out various development programs to improve the productivity and manage these properties efficiently using the available resources.
This division has drawn out forward replanting programs for Tea, Rubber and Coconut Estates. We ensure to carry out good cultural practices and increase productivity through efficient management systems. They are also in the process of Crop integration through the process of growing other minor export crops such as Pepper, Cinnamon and fruit crops.
At present the division is in the process of preparation of a forward program for ten years. Here all agricultural and capital expenditure work will be further developed into sustainable and variable entities which are essential to the natural land areas.
With the assistance of many benevolent donors, The Scholarship Division is responsible for overseeing and ensuring the distribution of the contributions being carried out in a just and correct manner.
- When providing scholarships, the division must make sure to follow all instructions left by the trust-holder. If the donor has specified to which academic institutes should the contributions directly go to, the division must take all steps to follow the wishes and make all arrangements to provide the
said institutes with the scholarships accordingly.
- When the trust-holder makes no specific mention of the places his/her contributions should go to, the Public Trustee is free to allocate those reserves to elsewhere with the help of the Scholarships Aid Division.
The Division will use the donations for any educational donation purposes once the subsequent
processors are complete:
- Obtaining the Scholarship Request Form issued by the Public Trustee
- Submitting the completed form to the Public Trustee office along with the recommendation
statement from either the principle/Graham Niladari/ Secretary/Divisional Secretary.
- Providing a letter written by the principal of the school which the applicant goes to, or the school registrar, confirming that the applicant attends the stated school.
- Submitting the applicant’s Academic Progress Report.
The Required Qualifications:
- If the donor has given instructions with regards to who should correctly receive the donations, those (scholarships applicants) falling under the mentioned categories will be directly qualified for a scholarship. (Terms and conditions will apply).
- When choosing an applicant from a more general pool of applicants, those who requested a
scholarship due to the hardships faced with extreme poverty will be given the first choice.
Scholarship Request Form:
Download the Scholarship Request Form through the Public Trustee website or by visiting the Public
Trustee office.
Services:
Provide financial aid for:
- Special medical operations
- Religious affairs
- Donations to the underprivileged
The most suitable way of obtaining the above services:
- When requesting any of the services listed above, Highlight the singular motives behind the application submission and the goals fulfilled with the funds received. If the stated reasons and goals directly align with the trust objectives, the Public Trustee will grant the requested donations accordingly.
- Obtaining the donations for more common requirements, the following forms need to be submitted along with other appropriate documents:
Medical Aid Donations
- When submitting the donation request form, ensure to have it certified by the Grama Niladari.
- Completing the Departmental Application form and present it with Grama Niladari Officer or the Divisional Secretary.
- Providing a letter by (The letter must be addressed to the Public Trustee himself by the
medical authorities) verifying the health conditions and its criticalness.
- Providing a copy of the applicant’s National Identification. (Guardian’s NIC copy if the patient
is under 18 years.)
- Providing a copy of the official letter of approval the applicant has received if he/she is already receiving funding from the Presidential Funds.
- If the Donation request is submitted requesting financial aid to get a Blood Transfusion
Procedure done in a private hospital, the applicant is expected to provide all medical bills related to
getting the procedure done.
Charity
- When submitting the donation request form, ensure to have it certified by the Grama
Niladari.
- Provide all medical reports and hospital bills if the applicant is specifically requesting medical
aid.
- If the applicant is requesting donations for reasons of supporting a dependent (infant, or an
elder), ensure to submit the request with Grama Niladari Officer’s certification. (This is done to verify
that applicant reasons for applying are valid).
Religious Aid Donations
The steps for obtaining Aid:
- Letter of Request
- Complete the public trustee issued application specifically intended for religious aid request, and have it certified by the Grama Niladari Officer and the Head of Divisional Religious Affairs
Department.
- If the donation request is for the construction of a temple, the applicant must present the proposed infrastructure plan and all related estimates.
Qualifications required obtaining the above services:
Applicants who have requested medical donations for critical medical operations and treatments
with no access to medical grants and faces deep financial issues will be prioritized.
Applicants who face severe financial difficulties due to extreme poverty will be given first priority.
Prioritizing, building temples in rural areas of the country.
Provide donations to temples, monasteries etc. that experiences difficulties in providing the most
basic needs.
Duties:
- Securely manage all trusts that are created for the religious welfare purposes and ensure that all payments are made to the beneficiaries in a timely way under the complete instructions left by the trust-holder.
- Making occasional investments under the guidelines provided by the securely maintained trusts.
- Ensuring that all trusts contributing to public donations are processed and the instructions under those trusts are carried out correctly, whether may it be a payment or an investment.
The D.B. Jayatilaka property estate is special donation that was made to the Public Trustee, in the hopes of being used as the central point for all Public Trustee operations. A location, that allows the Public Trustee to carry out the significant work that is continuing to be maintained to this day.
The application Formats required to obtain a public Donation of all different types:
- Charity Request Form
- Religious Donation Request Form
- Scholarships Request Form
- Medical Donations request Form
Qualifications required to request donations:
- For Temple Constructions - Provide services first to rural areas that face considerable challenges
due to the lack of resources & poverty.
- For Charity - Provide services for those who have been affected by severe poverty and other economic disasters.
- For Scholarships - Provide scholarships to students who cannot afford to go for higher education due to various difficulties faced, such as low income.
Duties:
- Create the Annual Internal Audit plan, based on the risk factors carried out by the departmental duties.
- Actively carry out Internal Audit Programmes based on the approved Internal Audit Plan.
- Do a complete analysis of the adequacy and productivity of the Internal Control, Operational & Information Systems.
- Carry out experiments on the annual Trust finalisation accounts and the Annual Appropriation accounts.
- Maintain all accounts of State Relevant Assets and Government Assets in securely and accurately.
- Carry out Thorough investigations on the exploitation & irregularities detected in managing the Financial assets and state properties.
- Ensure that the Audit and Management Committee meeting are carried out under the guidelines provided by the Management Audit Department.
- Ensuring that the trusts created by the beneficiary for religious, charity, medical donation purposes are maintained and all instructions are accurately carried out, falls under the responsibility of this division.
- The Private Trust division maintains all trusts that are specifically within the attention and control of the Trust Board and the Public Trustee.
- Obtaining the approvals from the relevant officials to make the payments to the beneficiaries, to allocate capital wealth, and income investments, undertaking authority to look in to wellbeing of minors under the specific instructions left under the specifically created trusts or last wills are other responsibilities carried out by the division.
Accordingly, here are few related activities done in the recent past:
- The Estate Property of Uswattege Don Bertram De Silva:
- According to the Last Will of Mr B. De Silva, he has particularly requested to hold an Almsgiving at the Departmental Hall. The organizers must make sure to invite 10 Bhikkhus and 25 Female devotees. The Event will be carried out on an annual basis.
The Investigation Division is known to be handling some of the most critical responsibilities that fall under the Public Trustee Department. Their main services include:
- Opening new Trust accounts or amend the ones that are currently being maintained by the department.
- Ensuring all matters relating to the Will has been carried out accordingly as well as securely maintained upon finalization.
- Ensuring that the Last Wills are put forward to the probate court to undergo the standard assessment process. Once the process of obtaining the probate is complete, the division will proceed to securely maintain it while following the instructions states by the testator.
- Attending any court-cases that requires the future services of the Public Trustee.
- Upon the receiving Administrative License over the cases handed-over by the court, it falls on the investigation division to securely manage all related properties and other assets under the instructions and guidance of the Court.
- All assets, once placed under the protection of the Public Trustee will be thoroughly assessed and then maintained. If there are any property disputes or any form of legal issue with any of the estate properties, the investigation Department must look into taking the necessary action to resolve issues.
- The division is also expected to act as the acting manager of estates of a minor/mentally or physically disabled individual. The division must thoroughly assess that the estate properties face no legal problems before completing the process of taking charge of them and assign them to the relevant divisions.
- Ensuring that, all legal procedures are complete before taking responsibility of Last Wills and Trusts.
Investigation Division Service Formats:
- Trust Application Form
- Information Request Form (Last Will)
Who qualifies as Donors?
Those who wish to do well to the local communities in Sri Lanka, to enhance the betterment of the society through generous donations and charitable acts through financial means or other forms. All those who share similar philanthropic ideals as the Public Trustee are warmly welcome!
The Services Completed under the investigation Division (Up to 2018):
- Opening Trusts and carrying out the maintaining process efficiently.
- All Last Wills issued between, 1931-1987 remained closed, till recently division took proper action to complete all legal processors to open the trusts again.
- Identifying the trust related properties and, have them thoroughly assess and confirm that the property is not facing any form of legal problem. Upon completion, steps will be taken to settle any existing issues on the property and finally to secure the property under the management of the Public Trustee.
- Taking legal action against those who unlawfully occupied the estates which have been legally handed over to the Public Trustee.
- Ensuring steps are taken to obtain compensations from the government for property acquisition.
- Attending all pending court-cases that requires the direct involvement of the Public Trustee and take steps to assist close those pending cases.
- Ensuring that the department obtains a fee for the testaments and trusts the division must give special attention to while making sure the division follows instructions left by the donors in question.
- Identifying, the State properties and taking necessary steps to process the property taken in by the Public Trustee.
This division is mainly responsible for managing and maintaining the work structure of the Public Trustee Department as well as delegating the tasks to each division under the careful guidance and supervision of either one of the Deputy Public Trustee officials.
This division will overlook the functionalities of all other divisions while inspecting the following sections as well:
- Ongoing maintenance of all records and files managed by the Public Trustee.
- Utilizing the time and human-effort to the maximum to maintain all record systems.
- Ensuring the smooth functioning of postal affairs of the whole department.
- Maintaining smooth functionality of all departmental security matters, cleaning matters & telecommunication matters.
- Ensuring all utility bill payments are made on time.
- Buying Procurements.
The Accounts Division takes on the crucial role of maintaining and managing all financial matters of the Public Trustee Department. It falls on this division to ensure all tasks listed below are managed correctly at all times.
- The Management of all provisions (treasury) that are being allocated from the department budget allocations.
- Managing all trusts and property funds.
- Managing all temple and foreign compensation affairs.
- Ensuring smooth functioning of all investment activities run by the Public Trustee Department.
- Maintaining control over all state assets.
- Ensuring proper transfer of all fees received by the government, to the department Treasury for the services provided by the Public Trustee Department.
