One more phase of the Defence Ministry’s (MoD) ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ fund, initiated district-wise house construction project for War Heroes, saw its fruition in Ampara, Trincomalee and Batticaloa Districts on Wednesday (19) with the ceremonial inauguration of 14 more new houses by His Excellency, the President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
At the invitation of the Secretary Defence, Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President Mahinda Rajapaksa handed over the keys of one new house symbolically to the disable War Hero, Sergeant K.M.R Jayaratne of Sri Lanka Light Infantry (SLLI) Regiment in the Ampara District at the auspicious hour before he gave away keys to 13 other houses during a separate ceremony held at Divulana Vidyalaya at Piyangala, Ampara. Those houses elsewhere in all three Districts simultaneously had their separate house-warming ceremonies.
At the invitation of the Secretary Defence, Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President Mahinda Rajapaksa handed over the keys of one new house symbolically to the disable War Hero, Sergeant K.M.R Jayaratne of Sri Lanka Light Infantry (SLLI) Regiment in the Ampara District at the auspicious hour before he gave away keys to 13 other houses during a separate ceremony held at Divulana Vidyalaya at Piyangala, Ampara. Those houses elsewhere in all three Districts simultaneously had their separate house-warming ceremonies.
This novel ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ project of building new houses in their own plots of land is the brainchild of the Secretary Defence and the project has so far succeeded in constructing a few hundreds of houses in more than ten districts, a feature that was realized within a very short span of time after the project was launched a few months ago.
Secretary to President Mr Lalith Weerathunga, Governor for the Eastern Province, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chief Ministers, Tri service Commanders, Inspector General of the Police, Mrs Ioma Rajapaksa, Chairperson, Ministry of Defence Seva Vanitha Branch, Mrs Manjulika Jayasuriya, President Seva Vanitha Army Branch, Senior Tri Service and Police officers and a large gathering of invitees including close relatives of tri service War Heroes attended the ceremonies.
President Rajapaksa unveiled a plaque at the recipient, Sergeant Jayaratne’s new house and inaugurated the new house as members of the Maha Sangha started chanting Pirith. President Rajapaksa as Chief Guest on the occasion cut a ribbon and declared the house opened while giving the set of house keys to the family. Soon after performances of traditional house warming rites and rituals, the President who was welcomed by the recipient’s wife on arrival at the location spent a few minutes with the family and gave away a gift parcel to the two-and-half year infant of the War Hero. In addition, a stock of furniture was also given to the family. Before the Chief Guest’s exit, he shared a cup of tea with members of the family and others.
President’s Secretary, Secretary Defence, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Army along with other service Commanders and the IGP witnessed the house-warming.
Minutes later, 13 more War Heroes including one sailor from Ampara, Trincomalee and Batticaloa Districts received keys for their new houses from the President Mahinda Rajapaksa during a separate ceremony at Divulana Vidyalaya at Piyangala, Ampara. Each of them also received stocks of furniture and utensils as gifts from the President and other invitees.
The concept for construction of 700 new houses, mooted by Secretary Defence Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa using ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ funds, as proposed by HE the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has so far succeeded in erecting houses in more than seven districts. This is the sixth phase of the project. Those houses are built on plots of lands, owned by the War Heroes themselves with the financial grants, donated by the MoD.
Those houses, each worth about Rs 3 million have been built in accordance with the wishes of individual War Heroes after offering free labour and architectural help from the Army.
Supervised by Defence Ministry’s Seva Vanitha Branch, chaired by Mrs Ioma Rajapaksa, the project has so far donated a fair number of such houses to service personnel in Kandy, Kurunegala, Badulla, Monaragala, Matara, Hambantota and Galle Disticts.
Many Sri Lankans, both here and abroad lavishly contributed to the ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ housing fund in response to the MoD request during and after the war for peace.
Secretary to President Mr Lalith Weerathunga, Governor for the Eastern Province, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chief Ministers, Tri service Commanders, Inspector General of the Police, Mrs Ioma Rajapaksa, Chairperson, Ministry of Defence Seva Vanitha Branch, Mrs Manjulika Jayasuriya, President Seva Vanitha Army Branch, Senior Tri Service and Police officers and a large gathering of invitees including close relatives of tri service War Heroes attended the ceremonies.
President Rajapaksa unveiled a plaque at the recipient, Sergeant Jayaratne’s new house and inaugurated the new house as members of the Maha Sangha started chanting Pirith. President Rajapaksa as Chief Guest on the occasion cut a ribbon and declared the house opened while giving the set of house keys to the family. Soon after performances of traditional house warming rites and rituals, the President who was welcomed by the recipient’s wife on arrival at the location spent a few minutes with the family and gave away a gift parcel to the two-and-half year infant of the War Hero. In addition, a stock of furniture was also given to the family. Before the Chief Guest’s exit, he shared a cup of tea with members of the family and others.
President’s Secretary, Secretary Defence, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Army along with other service Commanders and the IGP witnessed the house-warming.
Minutes later, 13 more War Heroes including one sailor from Ampara, Trincomalee and Batticaloa Districts received keys for their new houses from the President Mahinda Rajapaksa during a separate ceremony at Divulana Vidyalaya at Piyangala, Ampara. Each of them also received stocks of furniture and utensils as gifts from the President and other invitees.
The concept for construction of 700 new houses, mooted by Secretary Defence Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa using ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ funds, as proposed by HE the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has so far succeeded in erecting houses in more than seven districts. This is the sixth phase of the project. Those houses are built on plots of lands, owned by the War Heroes themselves with the financial grants, donated by the MoD.
Those houses, each worth about Rs 3 million have been built in accordance with the wishes of individual War Heroes after offering free labour and architectural help from the Army.
Supervised by Defence Ministry’s Seva Vanitha Branch, chaired by Mrs Ioma Rajapaksa, the project has so far donated a fair number of such houses to service personnel in Kandy, Kurunegala, Badulla, Monaragala, Matara, Hambantota and Galle Disticts.
Many Sri Lankans, both here and abroad lavishly contributed to the ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ housing fund in response to the MoD request during and after the war for peace.
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