On 05 July 2026, the foundation stone was laid for the construction of 57 new housing units at Cannavarella Plantation Estate in Badulla district by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, Hon. K.V. Samantha Vidyaratna, and Consul General of India in Hambantota, Shri. Harvinder Singh. These housing units are being constructed under Phase IV of the Indian Housing Project, which envisages the construction of 10,000 houses for the plantation community across six provinces of Sri Lanka.
The Indian Housing Project is a flagship development initiative by Government of India in Sri Lanka, encompassing the construction of around 60,000 houses through grant assistance of over INR 18 billion. Under the first two phases, 46,000 houses were built or renovated in the Northern and Eastern provinces, followed by 4,000 houses in plantation regions during the third phase
The Indian-origin Tamil community and plantation regions remain a specific focus under India’s development cooperation partnership with Sri Lanka. Beyond housing, landmark initiatives include the construction of a multi-specialty hospital in Dickoya, establishment of smart classrooms, upgradation of nine plantation schools and the announcement of Indian support to development of Seetha Eliya Temple. Further, a multi-sectoral package of INR 750 million was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2023, to mark 200 years of arrival of Indian origin Tamil community to Sri Lanka.
The event was also attended by Badulla District Member of Parliament, Hon. Kithnan Selvaraj, alongside senior officials from Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, representatives from Plantation Human Development Trust, and local beneficiaries from the Cannavarella estate.
