Houses for persons with disabilities

Irangika RANGE

The Social Services Ministry will construct 100 houses for persons with disabilities. As an initial step, Social Services Minister Felix Perera will lay foundation stones to construct two houses in Govakotuwa, Maspotha and Thibbotupitiya, Kurunegala district today.

Under this programme, action has been taken to construct 80 houses for each Divisional Secretariat Division at a cost of Rs 250,000 each. Houses will be constructed at a cost of Rs 150,000 each. The housing project is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Social Services Minister Felix Perera said it is compulsory for disabled recipients to have their own plot of lands or approval of their parents, if housing units are to be construed in their own ancestral lands.

He said people with disabilities can apply in writing with regard to the housing project to Director, National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities.

The minister said the government is committed to uplift the lives of families of disabled persons.

“We have taken a number of steps to empower disabled persons in Sri Lanka. One such was the increased awareness of the needs and rights of disabled persons. We made parents, teachers, NGOs and ministries aware about creating a collective effort to improve the living standards of disabled persons. A number of new services have also been introduced for the benefit of disabled persons,” he added.