Jakarta, Dec. 21 -- Indonesia's Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar has launched Dana Paramita, a charitable fund designed to collect contributions from Buddhist civil servants within the ministry for socio-religious activities.

"This fund will be used to help people in need, including disaster victims in Sumatra and other regions," Umar said during the launch at the Ministry of Religious Affairs office in Jakarta on Sunday.

The fund was introduced during an award ceremony for teachers of Buddhist religious education organized by the ministry's Directorate General of Buddhist Guidance.

In his remarks, Umar praised the directorate general for initiating Dana Paramita, describing it as a platform for Buddhist civil servants to ...