By Srinivas Iyer | Mumbai
Two model villages built with grant assistance from the Government of India were inaugurated and handed over to beneficiary families in Sri Lanka on July 29, marking another milestone in the development partnership between the two countries.
Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply, Dr. Susil Ranasinghe, jointly inaugurated ‘Nanda Gama’ in Kegalle and ‘Jana Aruna Gama’ in Kalutara. Sri Lanka’s Minister of Environment, Dr. Dammika Patabendi, and Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, participated in the respective ceremonies.
A total of 48 houses, 24 in each model village, were handed over to beneficiary families. The events were attended by Members of Parliament, officials from the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply, the National Housing Development Authority and district administrations.
The Model Village Housing Project is being implemented in all 25 districts of Sri Lanka with grant support from the Government of India. The initiative aims to provide housing for 600 low-income families, with each model village comprising 24 houses allocated to beneficiaries selected by district housing committees.
The project is being implemented under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Governments of India and Sri Lanka in October 2017.
Model villages have already been inaugurated in 18 districts, including Jaffna, Kandy, Colombo, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ratnapura. According to the latest project update, nearly 98.5 per cent of the work has been completed, with the remaining five model villages expected to be inaugurated and handed over to beneficiaries soon.
