Leading News from Sri Lanka::

* India to grant Sri Lanka another Rs. 300 million to construct 600 houses under the Grama Shakthi Model Village Project

Sun, Oct 15, 2017, 10:44 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Oct 15, Colombo: The government of Sri Lanka has received the cabinet nod to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of India to obtain a Rs. 300 million financial grant to build 600 houses for poor families.

A survey carried out on housing requirements in 2016 has revealed that 216,197 families do not have either a house or a land to build a house of their own.

According to a cabinet statement, the Ministry of Housing and Construction is currently implementing an extensive program called the 'Grama Shakthi Model Village' for resolving the housing problems of the poverty stricken people.

Under the program, the Government of India has already provided a financial grant of Rs.300 million for the construction of 600 houses in 25 model villages throughout the island.

With the evaluation of the progress of the project, the Government of India has expressed willingness to provide a further award of Rs.300 million for the construction of another 600 houses.

Accordingly, the cabinet of ministers had given the approval for a proposal put forward by the Minister of Housing and Construction Sajith Premadasa to implement a program to provide houses for another 600 families of abject poverty under the Grama Shakthi Model Village Programme by utilizing the Indian Government grant of Rs.300 million and to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of India.