High Commission of India
Colombo

 PRESS RELEASE

Distribution of Title Deeds among beneficiaries of Phase-III of Indian Housing Project

         On 28 August 2026, President of Sri Lanka, H.E. Anura Kumara Disanayaka, accompanied by Acting High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Maitrey Kulkarni, handed over165 title deedsto beneficiaries of Phase-III of Indian Housing Project.The handing-over took place during a ceremony, where ‘Navodayapuram’, built by Government of Sri Lanka for 50 disaster-affected families in Poonagala, Badulla district, was inaugurated.

2. 2. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries including Hon. Samantha Viddyarathna, Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure; Hon. Sushil Ranasinghe, Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply; Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar, Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources; Hon. Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Minister of Women and Child Affairs; Hon. Sundaralingam Pradeep, Deputy Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure; and Hon. Kapila Jayasekara, Governor of Uva Province. Hon. Members of Parliament, Secretaries and officials of Ministries, Chief Secretary and officials of Uva Province were also present.
3. 3. Earlier in April 2026, Vice President of India His Excellency C.P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the final set of houses constructed under Phase-III, marking the completion of the phase.Under Phase-III, 4,000 houses were built for families in the plantation community.
4. 4. The Indian Housing Project, with an overall commitment of around INR 1,835 crore is aflagship grant assistance initiative undertaken by Government of India in Sri Lanka. Under the first two phases, 46,000 houses were constructed in Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka.
5. 5. Demonstrating India's continued commitment to the welfare of Sri Lanka’s plantation community, Phase-IV of Indian Housing Project was announced by Prime Minister His Excellency Narendra Modi in 2017. Thisphase, currently ongoing,envisages the construction of an additional 10,000 houses. The construction of first 1300 housing units nearing completion.
6. 6. The development cooperation partnership between India and Sri Lanka stands at over 7.5 billion US dollars, including grant assistance of around 880 million. Driven by a people-centric approach, this partnership spans all 25 districts of Sri Lanka across various sectors, delivering tangible benefits to those who need them the most.

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Colombo
29 August 2026