The Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram has issued following statement:

“Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India has informed me that –

(i) 10,250 houses were completed by 31.12.2013 under the India assisted programme of building houses for internally displaced persons in the northern Province of Sri Lanka;

(ii) Another 27,750 houses will be constructed under the same scheme. The funds are being released directly to the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries have received the installments in the accordance with the progress made by them in the construction of the houses;

(iii) 5,000 houses are being repaired with the assistance of the Government of India;

(iv) 6,000 houses would be constructed through an agency, out of which 4,000 houses will be built in the Central and Uva provinces of Sri Lanka as support for Indian-origin Tamils, primarily tea plantation workers. WAPCOS has been selected as the Project Management Consultant for this part of the project;

(v) Earlier, 1000 houses were constructed as part of a pilot project and the work was completed in July, 2012.

Thus, there is satisfactory progress in the India assisted programme of constructing/repairing 50,000 houses.”

India-assisted housing programme continues with direct beneficiary disbursements, staged installments and targeted construction and repair across Sri Lanka. The India-assisted housing programme supports construction and repair for displaced persons and Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka via direct beneficiary disbursements paid in progress-linked installments for self-construction, an agency-led construction tranche managed through a Project Management Consultant in specified provinces, targeted repair works funded by India, and an earlier completed pilot informing the broader programme.