As part of an expansion of its housing project in Sri Lanka, India would construct an additional 10,000 homes in the country’s plantation regions.
According to a statement, the Indian High Commission on Tuesday inked two major contracts for the building of 10,000 homes in Sri Lankan plantation regions as part of Phase IV of the Indian Housing Project.
Early implementation of the 10,000-house building project is the goal of separate agreements with the two Implementing Agencies, the State Engineering Corporation (SEC) and the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA).
The signatories to the two agreements were Eldos Mathew Punnoose, Counselor and Head of the Development Cooperation Wing; Rathnasiri Kalupahana, Chairman of SEC; and Kankanamalage Ajantha Janaka, General Manager, NHDA.
Eleven districts and six provinces make up Phase IV of the Indian Housing Project in Sri Lanka.
“It may be recalled that the overall commitment of the Government of India under the Indian Housing Project currently stands at 60,000 houses. While 46,000 houses were completed in Northern and Eastern Provinces in the first two phases, the third phase for the construction of 4,000 houses in plantation areas is nearing completion,” the release said.
“Housing receives focused attention in India’s people-centric development cooperation partnership with Sri Lanka. Beyond the Indian Housing Project, 2,400 houses are being built across the 25 Districts of Sri Lanka under different housing projects. India’s development cooperation portfolio stands at around USD 5 billion, with close to USD 600 million being in grants,” the statement said.
In the meanwhile, on Wednesday, Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay took a roomy train donated by India from Colombo to Medawachiya.
“Indian High Commissioner enjoyed the journey on #Srilankan Railways from Colombo to Medawachiya. Spacious Railway coaches were provided under #Indian Line of Credit by @RITESLIMITED. Track upgradation by @IrconOfficial from Anuradhapura to Omanthai similarly under #Indian LoC provides immense riding comfort,” the Indian High Commission posed on X.
“Strengthening rail infrastructure in Sri Lanka for the benefit of the people has been a key area of focus of #India-#lka development cooperation,” the mission wrote.
Between April and October 2023, India exported $463.58 million in tea, according to the commerce ministry. This compares to $482.78 million in the same time in 2022.
India is one of the world’s top five tea exporters, accounting for around 10% of global exports. The overall value of tea exports from India in 2021 is expected to be about US$ 687.9 million.
