In a gesture aimed at ameliorating the living conditions of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, the State government has unveiled a scheme to construct durable houses, replacing existing temporary houses in a phased manner.
“Taking into consideration the difficulties faced by families in temporary houses, 2,500 houses will be constructed in selected camps at a cost of Rs.25 crore,” Finance Minister O. Panneerselavam announced in the Budget on Monday.
As the government has already hiked the monthly cash assistance to the refugees, the Minister allocated Rs.60 crore towards the disbursement of the increased aid.
Besides extending all welfare schemes to the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, the government also permitted the children of the refugees to participate in single window counselling for admission to lateral entry for BE/B.Tech and postgraduate courses such as MBA, MCA, ME and M.Tech during this academic year. Mr. Panneerselvam said this along with extension of concession in fee granted to first generation graduates had paved the way for higher education and bright future of the children of the refugees.
