Minister Weerwansa participating in the committee stage debate on budget 2015 under the expenditure heads of the Ministry of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities, said the contribution made by the construction industry increased upto 9.7 percent during the first quarters of this year.

He said that the government had been able to initiate a revolution in housing industry. “There was no National Housing policy in this country. We have been able to bring about a national housing policy and are implementing it.  The government's recent efforts to provide permanent homes to those living in makeshift settlements have placed Sri Lanka among the top South Asian nations.

“We have been able to provide solutions to housing problem during the last three, four years. The government had been building around 100,000 housing units per year and increased that number to 400,000 per year since 2011,” the minister said.  (Special Reporter/HC)