The first Model Village built with Indian assistance under the Model Villages Program of the Ministry of Housing and Construction & Cultural Affairs - Ranidugama in Gampaha District was inaugurated and the completed houses were handed over to the beneficiaries on Saturday.

Minister of Housing and Construction and Cultural Affairs Sajith Premadasa Former President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumaratunga and Acting High Commissioner of India Dr. Shilpak Ambule jointly inaugurated the village and handed over the houses.

Several Member of Parliaments, leaders from the Western Province, senior Government officials and large number of people from the region attended the ceremony.

Government of India has partnered with the Ministry of Housing and Construction and Cultural Affairs to build 100 model villages consisting of a total of 2400 houses all across Sri Lanka under Indian grant assistance of 1200 million SLR. These 2400 houses are in addition to the 60,000 houses built under the Indian Housing Project meant for war affected people in the North and East and the estate workers in the plantation areas.

India has undertaken more than 70 people-oriented development projects in various fields including health, education, housing, skill development, infrastructure, vocational training among others, all across the country including the largest University Auditorium in Ruhuna University in Matara. About, 20 such projects are currently under progress. The overall development portfolio of Government of India in Sri Lanka is close to US$ 3 billion out of which US$ 560 million are in grants.