In an important milestone, the Indian Housing Project in Sri lanka has constructed about 16,000 houses during 2014. This project is part of India’s commitment to construct 50,000 houses as part of post-conflict rehabilitation efforts. India has made an announcement in this regard in June 2010 during the visit of lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India.
So far 26,000 houses have been constructed or repaired under this project from 2010-11 till date, out which these 16,000 were constructed in the last year alone. Now 19,000 houses remain to be constructed or repaired by end of 2015.The project is being implemented as full grant assistance amounting to $250 million from the Government of India, making it one of the largest grant assistance projects ever undertaken by India overseas. Under the pilot phase of the project, which was completed in July 2012, the Government of India entrusted an agency to construct 1,000 houses for beneficiaries in the Northern Province.
The second phase, launched on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 2 October 2012, aims to construct or repair 45,000 houses in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. An innovative owner-driven model is being pursued to implement the second phase, wherein the Government of India arranges technical support and financial assistance for the owner-beneficiaries to undertake the construction or repair of their houses themselves.