By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : An association of the Malayali diaspora in Australia Saturday purchased Rs.100,000 worth of lottery tickets to chip in for a Kerala government welfare fund for artistes from various fields.
Thiruvallam Bhasi, a journalist based in Australia, told IANS over the phone that the tickets were handed over to Tom George, regional vice chairman of the World Malayalee Council, by film actor Indrans Saturday.
“These tickets were handed over to be sold (in Australia) at the day-long Australian Malayalee Fest 09 which was inaugurated by Indrans Saturday,” said Bhasi.
The tickets are priced at Rs.100 and the lucky draw is to be held here March 9. The first prize is Rs.20 million.
“We are glad that we got an opportunity to help our dear artistes who have kept alive our relationship with our state through films, dramas and all the art forms,” said Bhasi.
Meanwhile, state Culture Minister M.A. Baby said the sales are going on briskly and it has got an excellent response after film stars were roped in to sell tickets.
“We have also sent tickets to few countries in the Middle East. Overall, the response has been good,” said Baby.
Earlier this month, Malayalam film superstar Suresh Gopi sold tickets worth Rs.35,000 in just 90 minutes to people on the streets.