Housing project named after Indian freedom fighter

COLOMBO (The Island/ANN) - Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Finance Minister hands over 98 houses built under the Indian Housing Project. The village in Nuwara Eliya was named after Bhagat Singh, a famous Indian freedom fighter, whose martyrdom day fell on March 23.

Ninety eight houses built under the Indian Housing Project were handed over to the beneficiaries jointly by High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka Mangala Samaraweera, yesterday (24), at Helboda Estate in Nuwara Eliya, in the presence of Minister for Hill country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development Palani Digambaram, Minister of Lands and Parliamentary Reforms Gayantha Karunathilake, and. Minister of Special Area Development V. Radhakrishnan.

Several Members of Parliament and Central Provincial Council, senior officials from Plantation Human Development Trust (PHDT), Implementing Agency – Habitat for Humanity, Sri Lanka, Pusellewa Regional Plantation Company and a large number of people from the region attended the function. The village was named after Bhagat Singh, a famous Indian freedom fighter and youth icon, whose martyrdom day fell on March 23. 

Minister Samaraweera described India as a true friend, always ready to assist Sri Lanka during emergencies and crisis situations. 

High Commissioner Sandhu in his remarks congratulated the proud owners of the newly built independent houses. He described the Indian Housing Project in Sri Lanka with a grant of over US$ 350 million (close to 50 billion LKR), as the largest single Indian grant assistance project in any country abroad. He also recalled that out of the total commitment of 63,000 houses, 47,000 houses had already been built.

Expressing India’s support for realization of Sri Lanka’s developmental priorities, the High Commissioner reiterated the Government and people of India’s commitment to participate with the people of Sri Lanka in their journey towards prosperity and development. India had undertaken more than 70 people-oriented development projects in various fields including health, education, housing, skill development, infrastructure, vocational training among others, all across the country. About, 20 such projects were currently under progress. The overall development portfolio of Government of India in Sri Lanka was close to US$ 3 billion out of which US$ 560 million were in grants, he said.

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  • Nuwara Eliya housing project named after Indian freedom fighter

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