International Red Cross praises Indian housing programme in Sri Lanka

As India continues to play crucial role in the reconstruction of Sri Lanka after three decades of internal strife, India has been praised by the International Red Cross for its housing programme. “The owner-driven model, adopted in a housing programme funded by the Indian government in Sri Lanka, can serve as a source of inspiration, and as a case study of good practices,” Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General and CEO of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Sri Lanka, had promised all help and support in the reconstruction of the places hit by internal conflict. India and Sri Lanka entered into a pact after the fighting ended in Sri Lanka, where India agreed to construct 50,000 houses for the war-affected families. For internally displaced persons in the Northern and Eastern provinces, the Sri Lankan government had released nearly 2,000 acres of land. Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during his visit to India in September 2015 had sought India’s assistance in rebuilding the war hit areas. Under the project, India has agreed to construct new houses and repair damaged houses. The project is being implemented through two models, agency driven and owner-beneficiary driven. “The beneficiaries of the housing project are identified through a consultative process,” Minister of State for Home Kirren Rijiju had earlier said in an answer to the Lok Sabha. The relations between the two countries have been gaining momentum in the recent times after it went adrift for a few years during the tenure of Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was more favourably disposed towards China. The present establishment in Sri Lanka looks to India for playing a bigger role in aiding its development. India has received a favourable reception from Sri Lankan leaders in the past year.