High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha on 5 November visited the Narangala Division in Uva Province to review progress on Phase-III of the Indian Housing Project (IHP). During his visit, the High Commissioner interacted with 54 beneficiary families who are recipients of houses under the ongoing project.

As part of the multi-sectoral Indian grant assistance of INR 750 million, announced to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the Indian-origin Tamil community to Sri Lanka, the High Commissioner distributed solar lanterns to the beneficiary families, helping to improve their living conditions.

A special event was held at Narangala Tamil Vidyalayam, where the High Commissioner distributed additional aid, which included power backup generators and medical equipment for the Dalauda and Kandegedere Divisional Hospitals and Narangala Health Dispensary. Sports kits were provided to Narangala and Ledgerwatte Tamil Vidyalayams No.2 and No.3, while raincoats were given to plantation workers to support their daily work.

The following day, 6th November, the High Commissioner visited the Phase-IV site of the Indian Housing Project at Haputale, where he interacted with beneficiaries and reviewed the progress of the project.

The Indian Housing Project, a flagship initiative by the Indian government, is being implemented in four phases. Phases I and II have successfully constructed and renovated 46,000 houses in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Phase III focuses on the plantation regions, where more than 3,900 houses have been completed out of the planned 4,000, including in the Narangala Division. Phase IV, which began recently, will see the construction of 10,000 more houses in plantation areas, including at Haputale.