Nirmala Sitharaman to inaugurate various welfare projects in Sri Lanka

CHENNAI: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is all set to launch the 10,000 houses programme and various welfare projects in Sri Lanka on Thursday during her three-day visit to the Island nation.

"On Thursday, November 2, Indian Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will launch the 10,000 houses programme and the new cultural and IT centre at the Thondaman vocational training college in Hatton, in addition to other proposals under the Rs 3 billion Indian grant for the Indian origin Tamil plantation community. I am grateful for the government and people of India for their generosity and friendship to the people of Sri Lanka and the plantation community, " said cabinet minister of Sri Lanka Jeevan Thondaman in his social media post.

Sitharaman will give the keynote address at the 'NAAM 200' organised by the government of Sri Lanka to commemorate the 200th anniversary of arrival of Indian origin Tamils (IOTs) to Sri Lanka on November 2 at Colombo.

Further, Sitharaman will witness the exchange of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for solar electrification of religious places in Sri Lanka wherein India will allocate Rs 82.40 crores out of the GoI grant assistance of Rs 107.47 crores earmarked for the promotion of Buddhist ties.

Later, the Indian minister will inaugurate SBI branches at Trincomalee and Jaffna.