President Anura Kumara Dissanayake received 165 title deeds for beneficiaries of India's housing project in Sri Lanka, with the Indian government's total commitment to the initiative reaching approximately INR 18.35 billion in grant assistance.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake presided over a ceremony in Poonagala, Badulla on August 28 during which 165 title deeds were distributed to recipients of Phase III of the Indian Housing Project. The Acting Indian High Commissioner Maitrey Kulkarni attended the event, which also marked the inauguration of the Navodayapuram housing scheme developed by the Sri Lankan government to accommodate 50 families displaced by natural disasters.
Phase III of the Indian Housing Project has delivered 4,000 residential units to families within Sri Lanka's plantation communities. The final set of houses under this phase was officially opened in April 2026 by Indian Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan. The initiative represents a significant development partnership between the two nations, with India committing approximately INR 18.35 billion in grant assistance specifically for housing construction.
The housing collaboration between India and Sri Lanka has expanded substantially over the years. The first two phases of the project resulted in 46,000 houses constructed in the Northern and Eastern provinces. Phase IV, which was announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017, aims to construct an additional 10,000 houses for the plantation community, with construction of the first 1,300 units reportedly nearing completion.
Beyond housing initiatives, India's broader development cooperation with Sri Lanka encompasses projects across all 25 districts of the country, with total assistance exceeding USD 7.5 billion, including approximately USD 880 million in grant funding.
