NEHRP provides carpentry, masonry training for NorthEast youths

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 February 2006, 02:03 GMT]
The World Bank (WB) funded North East Housing Reconstruction Programme (NEHRP) has started a masonry and carpentry training project in the NorthEast to meet the acute shortage of masons and carpenters in the eight districts of the province. The project now being implemented in the districts of Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya are to be extended to other districts in the province from March, NEHRP sources said.

NEHRP is currently rebuilding about 31,270 houses out of 326,000 war-destroyed ones in the NorthEast. Meanwhile another 70,717 houses had been destroyed in the North East in the 2004 tsunami disaster.

The reconstructions of these houses are delayed due to shortage of qualified masons and carpenters. Hence the NEHRP launched the training project, sources said.

The duration of the training is three months. During the training period, trainees will be provided with attractive incentives, and uniforms. Trainees are to be provided with certificates and implements for their profession at the conclusion of the training, NEHRP sources said.

Currently masons in the province earn between Rs: 800 to Rs 1,000 per day, sources said

NEHRP has appealed to all youths who are willing to get training in masonry and carpentry in the NE districts to register their names with NEHRP Deputy Directors in each district, sources said.