President distributes houses among War Heroes

President Mahinda Rajapaksa presided over a ceremony held at the Divilana Vidyalaya, Ampara to mark the distribution of 14 houses among War Heroes yesterday morning built in the Ampara, Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts under the 6th stage of the Api Wenuwen Api housing project.

The President, who handed over a house to Sergeant K.M.R. Jayaratne of the Sri Lanka Army, also presented the keys of the other houses to respective beneficiary War Heroes.

A press release by the President's Media Division said, the President also distributed school equipment among students of the Divilana Vidyalaya. Addressing the gathering, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga said, everyone was enjoying freedom today because the President liberated the country from terrorism.

"Today War Heroes were assisting the country's development effort under the guidance of the Defence Ministry and this service should be highly acclaimed and appreciated," he said. Eastern Province Governor Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama, Senior Minister P. Dayaratne, Parliamentarian Sarath Weerasekara, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and the commanders of the three forces were also present on the occasion.

The release said 151 houses have been distributed among War Heroes for ownership under the Api Wenuwen Api project. These included 25 in the Kandy district, 27 in Kurunegala, 36 in Matara and Hambantota, 31 in Badulla and Moneragala and 32 in the Galle district.

The Api Wenuwen Api housing programme launched in 2009 is supervised by the Seva Vanitha unit of the Defence Ministry and foreign donors too are financially contributing.