The Government expects to make a substantial reduction in homelessness during two years with a concerted effort by several Ministries, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing 66 recipients of new houses built under the Arunodaya Project. Solution of the housing problem would also solve several other related problems, the President added.

The Government has imposed a 1 percent Condominium Tax so as to fund housing projects for the poor, explained the President. Along with the construction of houses for the needy the Government has also stated a project to provide clear title deeds to families who find themselves unable to build houses on their own due to the lack of clarity in ownership. This year 75,000 land allotments will be registered under the Bimsaviya Project.

President Rajapaksa also stressed the need to clear tenement houses from Colombo and other urban centres and said that already 250 houses have been completed under a special program for that purpose.