Rs 140 m Japanese grant for North

The Japanese Government provided of US$ 876,121 (approximately Rs. 98 million) grant aid for two reconstruction and a demining projects in the North through Sarvodaya, Sewalanka Foundation, and The HALO Trust to meet the emergency needs of the area and to promote peace and development of Sri Lanka under its Grant Assistance for Grass roots Human Security Projects (GGP).

The first project is the Project for Ensuring the Long Term Food Security of Resettled Communities in the Northern Province, which will be implemented by Sarvodaya. US$ 143,004 is allocated to rehabilitate 60 agricultural wells and three irrigation channels and to construct 30 agricultural wells in Oddusudan, Maritimepattu DS divisions in Mullaitivu District and Kandavalai DS division in Kilinochchi District.

More than 2,500 families will be benefitted from the project by enhancing water access, improving farming and empowering self sustainability.

The second is the Project for Supporting the Initial Socio-Economic Needs of Resettled Communities in the Northern Province, which will be implemented by Sewalanka Foundation.

This integrated project will support livelihood activities of resettled communities by providing agricultural and fishery equipment, constructing and rehabilitating five community centers and 55 wells in Maritimepattu and Oddusudan in Mullaitivu and Vavuniya North. US$ 203,117 has been allocated to the project which is expected to benefit more than 2,500 families.

The third project will be implemented by the HALO Trust to demine and to facilitate a safety environment in Jaffna and Kilinochchi Districts. US$ 530,000 is allocated for the project and it will contribute to resettlement of more than 20,000 people. Japan has been continuously assisting demining projects in Sri Lanka since 2003 to accelerate early resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and improve lives of resettled communities and has provided a total amount of US$ 21 million (approximately Rs. 2,350 million) to-date.

The Grant Contracts between Japanese Ambassador Kunio Takahashi, and organization representatives were signed November 17, 2010 at the Embassy of Japan in Colombo. Besides these three projects, the Japanese Government also extended grant aid on November 11 for another demining project in the North. This demining project is implemented by DASH, a local demining organization, and US$ 373,200 is allocated to demine and to facilitate safety environment for more than 5,000 people in Kilinochchi district. Sixty deminers would be employed from the local community and the project will also simultaneously contribute to providing employment opportunities to the residents in the area. In total, Japan has extended US$ 1.25 million for these four projects in the North only in this year.