Colombo:
India will construct 43,000 housing units for displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka's former war zones of the north and the east, as part of a USD 270 million project.
A pilot project has already witnessed the construction of 1,000 houses in Jaffna, Killinochchi and three other districts of the Northern Province.
The High Commission of India signed agreements with four implementing agencies that will oversee the implementation of the next phase of the Indian Housing Project for 43,000 housing units in Northern and Eastern Provinces.
The signing ceremony was completed in the presence of Indian High Commissioner, Ashok K Kantha, and Minister of Economic Development for Sri Lanka, Basil Rajapaksa.
In the second phase, beneficiaries will be selected through a transparent and norm-based process on the basis of clearly defined and objective criteria, the High Commission said in a statement.
Funds will be released directly by the High Commission of India into bank accounts of beneficiaries based on certification of progress of work, it said.
The construction of 43,000 houses for resettlement and rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern and Eastern Provinces is part of an Indian commitment to build 50,000 houses.