The Project Steering Committee for the Indian Housing Project in Sri Lanka reviewed the progress decided to increase the target of selection and release of funds to 15,000 new beneficiaries next year.The decision was taken at the review of the project by the Steering Committee co-chaired by Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa and Indian High Commissioner Ashok Kantha.A high-level Monitoring Committee from Ministry of External Affairs led by Special Secretaries P.S. Raghavan and Bimal Julka had also visited Sri Lanka to monitor visit construction sites and evaluate the progress of the project.Our correspondent reports that the beneficiary-led project for construction of fifty thousand houses for the war displaced people in Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka is progressing at a fast pace. By the end of March, the first instalment of payments was transferred to over eleven thousand beneficiaries while the second installment payments were made to over three thousand beneficiaries. This is in excess of the earlier target of fund transfers to ten thousand beneficiaries. The project was reviewed by an Indian and Sri Lankan joint steering committee, which felt that the targets for the next year can now be raised to provide benefit to fifteen thousand new people. The prestigious project was announced by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2010 during the visit of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. In the project the beneficiaries are selected through a transparent and norm-based process in close consultation with the Government of Sri Lanka. The beneficiaries themselves will undertake the construction of their houses with necessary technical assistance and support provided by the nominated Implementing Agencies.