Japan funds construction of bridge in Badulla, agro-wells in Batticalao

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2008, 16:41 GMT]
The Government of Japan has provided US$175,000 through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), of which 50% is allocated to "Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies" to construct a bridge across Badulu Oya in the Badulla District, and the remaining 50% to the "Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Sharamadana Sangamaya Inc.", to ensure food security to the resettled IDP families in the Batticaloa District, a press release issued by the Japanese Embassy in Colombo said Friday. The Batticaloa project will also provide help to IDP families to enhance income sources in Manmunai South West to get back to normalcy.

The project will construct two irrigation channels and 16 Agro wells to benefit hundreds of families in total, the release added.

Full text of the press release follows:

Japan Funds Construction of Bridge across Badulu Oya in the Badulla District and Construction of Agro Wells and Channels in the Batticaloa District

The Government of Japan provided a sum of US $ 87,319 (approximately Rs. 9.31 million) to the "Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies" to construct a bridge across Badulu Oya in the Badulla District and US $ 87,651 (approximately Rs. 9.34 million)to the "Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Sharamadana Sangamaya Inc.", to ensure food security to the resettled IDP families in the Batticaloa District.

The funds released to the "Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies" will be used to construct a firm iron bridge across the Badullu oya to provide safe and convenient transport to the communities in Kosgolla and Dambaghamadiththa villages in the Badulla District. The funds released to the "Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Sharamadana Sangamaya Inc." organization will assist the returning IDP families to enhance their food security and income sources in Manmunai South West, a conflict affected area, to get back to normalcy. The project will construct two irrigation channels and 16 Agro wells to benefit hundreds of families in total.

The Government of Japan through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) annually funds several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) and agencies operating at the local level to fulfill development needs at grass roots level of all Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim communities living throughout Sri Lanka. This scheme has been in operation in Sri Lanka since 1989, and has so far provided vast support towards a multitude of development and humanitarian activities at village, district, provincial and also at national level.

In February 2008, the Government of Japan extended the GGP assistance for livelihood and food security projects to the conflict affected communities in Vavunativu and Vaharai divisions, Batticaloa District through the "Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Sharamadana Sangamaya Inc." and the "Sewalanka Foundation". These projects are being implemented very effectively and the people in the district are already getting benefits from the projects.

The signing of this Grant Contracts took place at the Embassy of Japan on 8th August 2008. His Excellency, Mr. Kiyoshi Araki, Ambassador of Japan in Colombo, together with Mr. Jeewan Thiagarajah, Executive Director, "Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies" and with Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, Executive Director, "Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Sangamaya Inc." signed the Grant Contracts.