NEW DELHI: (AMN) Foreign Secretary Nirumapa Rao will begin a three-day visit to Sri Lanka on Monday. During the visit she will see directly the utilisation of Indian economic and humanitarian aid in the Tamil-speaking Northern Province.

Earlier India had announced that a senior official from the External Affairs Ministry would travel to the island nation for a first hand assessment of the Indian aid for relief and rehabilitation of the nearly three lakh displaced Tamil civilians.

Ms Rao is likely to meet the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Also there are reports that Indian officials would discuss with their Sri Lankan counterparts to start the pilot project of 1000 houses in the North. Suitable locations in each of the five districts of the North are being identified for the purpose. In June this year, during the visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had promised that India will build 50,000 houses for the war displaced civilians.