USDA to uplift livelihoods of youths

Chamikara Weerasinghe

The Construction Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities Ministry is taking steps to uplift livelihoods of those living in underserved settlements in Colombo before they would be given houses by the Defence and Urban Development Ministry under the Relocation of Underserved Settlement Project.

The Construction Ministry’s Urban Settlement Development Authority (USDA) chairman Palitha Gamage said moves are underway to introduce a number of micro-finance programmes, drugs and alcohol prevention programs and multi-focus cultural and educational programmes for youths and children in underserved settlements.

A UDA director told the Daily News that they are currently developing 30 sites in Colombo to relocate an estimated 1500 undeserved settlements in the city with over 60,000 families.

The UDA is constructing some 30,000 housing units as the first phase of the project. The sites currently under construction are in Aluthmawatha, Henamulla, Fergusson Road, Cyril C Perera Mawatha, Jewel Arts Land and Dematagoda, he said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed the UDA to complete the housing units before the end of 2013. The Treasury has allocated Rs 90,000 million for this, purpose.

Meanwhile, the Construction, Engineering Services Housing and Common Amenities Ministry has established a Social Mobilisation Unit to implement the USDA's micro-finance, drugs and alcohol prevention, and other programmes, said USDA Chairman Gamage.

"We have already introduced a few programmes in 80 undeserved settlements," he said. "The programmes will be carried out under USDA's Human Development Programme."

He added that they have identified 600 entrepreneurs to be provided with financial assistance.

The USDA will provide financial assistance to improve their business establishments, such as tailor shops, leather product shops, bakeries, ornamental and fancy shops, food providing facilities and tea houses under their micro-finance assistance.