High Impact Community Development Projects for SL

Under Indian grant assistance

In the presence of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) under Indian grant assistance was signed between India and Sri Lanka at the Temple Trees on Tuesday.

The extension of the ongoing MoU on HICDP for another five years had been announced during the Virtual Bilateral Summit between Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi and Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on September 26, 2020. The MOU was signed by High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay and Treasury Secretary SR Attygalle.

Under the High Impact Community Development Projects a total of 64 projects using a total outlay of approx SLR 20 billion as aid from government of India have been implemented in Sri Lanka. As per the new framework MoU for the third phase, individual developmental projects costing upto SLR 300 million in social sectors such as health, education, water, sanitation, agriculture etc can be taken up in Sri Lanka. The total outlay of all such projects at any given time can be upto SLR 5 billion.

It had been also agreed during the Virtual Bilateral Summit to deepen and broadbase the HICDP projects currently undertaken in each of Sri Lanka’s 25 districts. These projects shall relate chiefly to socio-economic development, livelihood support, conservation of environmental and cultural heritage, empowerment of women, child welfare and facilitation of community life, particularly through the creation of infrastructure in the education, health, agriculture or community development sectors. The Ministry of Finance is the nodal ministry for implementing the HICDP scheme on the Sri Lankan side.

Presently, 21 projects covering all provinces viz., Northern, North-Central, North-Western, Western, Southern, Central, Uva, Sabragamuva and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka are being undertaken under the MOU. They include construction of primary schools and colleges, vocational training institutes, universities, hospitals, rural sanitation, cultural heritage, rain water harvesting, social housing for poor, agricultural warehousing, tourism and civil aviation infrastructure support. (Indian HC)