Development in full swing as Rs 76.16 B projects begin

Lakshmi de Silva

The Nation Building Ministry is implementing 18 projects islandwide with Rs 76.16 billion aid covering irrigation, agriculture, livestock, education, health, housing and infrastructure development, Ministry Secretary W.K.K Kumarasiri told the Daily News yesterday. The housing project for war affected people in the North and East under the Negenahira Navodaya and Uthuru Vasantaya rehabilitation programs was funded by the World Bank and the European Union.

Under this project 53,000 houses will be built while the investment on this project is around Rs. 17,103.16 million.

Improvement of the standards of living of the war and tsunami affected in the North and East is also another project with Rs. 9.2 billion investment, he said.

Kumarasiri said the World Bank and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency

had provided Rs. 8,834 million to renovate and upgrade minor and major

irrigation schemes which will enable 41,779 families to cultivate around 43,997

hectares in the North and Eastern provinces.

In the fisheries and tourism sector, Rs.3991 million was invested in the North and East. Two fisheries harbours in the North and East are also among the development projects.

Under the Nation Building Ministry’s infrastructure development program, 19 bridges were built and 1,159 kilometres of roads repaired or rehabilitated in the South.

Under the poverty eradication program of the Mahinda Chintana policy, Rs. 34.7 billion was invested to a target group 100,000 families, he said.