National housing programme–2026 to be launched in Jaffna on Jan 16

 

The National Housing Programme–2026 will be inaugurated in Jaffna on January 16 under the theme “A Place to Belong, A Beautiful Life,” Deputy Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply T.B. Sarath announced.

Speaking at a media briefing yesterday, the Deputy Minister said the programme, implemented under the 2026 Budget, aims to provide permanent housing for people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces as well as low-income families displaced by various conflicts.

The launch ceremony will be held in the Mishale Grama Niladhari Division of the Chavakachcheriya Divisional Secretariat in the Jaffna District, under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. On the same day, cheques will be handed over to 500 homeless families in the Jaffna Peninsula to begin construction of their new homes.

Deputy Minister Sarath said priority has been given to people displaced by the war in the North and East, with 2,500 houses to be built for them by next year. Each house will receive Rs. 2 million, to be released in three instalments rather than as a lump sum.

In addition, 13,347 houses will be constructed islandwide for low-income families, covering all districts, while 1,000 houses are planned for government employees. In total, 31,318 houses are scheduled to be built this year and handed over next year, with the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) responsible for 18,229 units.

Sarath also said the Indian Government has allocated Rs. 1 million per house, while the Sri Lankan Government has allocated Rs. 2 million per house for the programme.

Meanwhile, the Transport, Highways and Urban Development Authority plans to build 4,998 houses for middle- and low-income earners, including artists and journalists. The Cabinet has also approved the purchase of 350 houses from the ‘Harbour View’ housing complex built by the Urban Development Authority (UDA) for police officers serving in Colombo and its suburbs, along with parking facilities.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that housing reconstruction for homes damaged by Cyclone Ditwah is being carried out separately, in parallel with these new housing initiatives.