Sri Lanka, Aug. 7 -- The National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) faced severe financial setbacks due to political interference in housing loan and assistance distribution between 2015 and 2019, Housing, Construction and Water Supply Deputy Minister T. B. Sarath told Parliament yesterday.Time & Calendars

This led to widespread loan defaults, massive unpaid beneficiary allocations totalling billions of rupees and thousands of stalled or incomplete housing model village projects. Housing units and financial aid have been allocated based on political favouritism rather than genuine need.

Based on political affiliations, two or three people in the same family were given housing grants.

Because of this, the authority is in a severe fin...