High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

On 15^th October, Prof. Peiris called on Mr. P. Chidambaram, Minister of Home Affairs of India. The Home Minister and Prof. Peiris discussed the progress with regard to the programme of 50,000 houses to be built in the formerly conflicted affected areas, through grant funds from India. Minster Peiris briefed that the allocation of State lands for the construction of 1,000 houses in a cluster format for the use of widows or single headed families, was well underway. The rest of the programme would relate both to the construction of 32,000 houses on an owner driven basis on private land, as well as to the repair of 17,000 damaged houses.

Later that day, Minister Peiris met with Mr. Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development of India to discuss collaboration in the education sphere, especially in relation to the assistance being received from India towards the realization of the vision of President Rajapaksa, for the coming into being of a Trilingual Society in Sri Lanka. Prof. Peiris expressed his appreciation of the ready assurance by Minister Sibal, that India would strongly be engaged in this effort.

Prof. Peiris’s third bilateral meeting on that day was the Indian Minister of Commerce & Industry, Mr. Anand Sharma. The two Ministers included in their discussion issues pertaining to the further strengthening of the trade and economic relationship between the two nations. They agreed that the forthcoming establishment of a Forum of Chief Executive Officers, which would include leading entrepreneurs of both countries, would assist both to iron out any problems and also to identify a sound and mutually beneficial path for the years ahead.