COLOMBO: India on Saturday provided Sri Lanka with additional assistance to build another 1,200 houses through 50 model villages.
With this, India's collaboration with Sri Lanka's Ministry of Housing and Construction under the Model Villages Housing Programme now covers 2,400 houses in 100 model villages.
A MoU was signed to build 1,200 houses through 50 model villages, using Indian grant assistance of USD 3.5 million, the Indian High Commission here said.
The 1,200 houses in the 50 model villages are in addition to the earlier 1,200 homes under construction in collaboration with the housing ministry.
The houses will be constructed using the successful owner-driven model with Indian grant assistance. As per the new MoU, 600 houses each will be constructed in the Southern and Northern Provinces, the Indian mission said.
The project will target low-income, landless and homeless beneficiaries. A cash grant of 500,000 Sri Lankan rupees will be provided to each beneficiary in instalments, linked to the stages of construction of the houses.
These projects are in continuation of the Indian government's commitment to assist Sri Lanka in the development of housing infrastructure.
India's overall commitment is for building nearly 63,000 houses in Sri Lanka. Indian financial commitment, under grant, for housing in Sri Lanka currently stands at around USD 350 million, the mission said.
The overall development portfolio of the Indian government in Sri Lanka is close to USD 3 billion. Of this, around USD 550 million is pure grant assistance and the rest is concessional credit.
India's development cooperation projects are not limited to specific regions or sectors. India partners with Sri Lanka according to the island nation's needs and the development projects are being executed all across the country.