Brushing aside the "adverse propaganda" about condition of Tamil civilians in refugee camps, Sri Lankan government said on Tuesday that it was "fast progressing" with the rehabilitation efforts for the displaced people in the north.

"Amid allegations and adverse propaganda, Sri Lankan government is fast progressing with the resettlement of the displaced civilians," an official statement said.

"Consequently, the government announced a wide range of programmes in which it hopes to improve welfare facilities at camps (in Vavuniya, Mannar and Jaffna) where an estimated 300,000 civilian refugees are being housed," it said.

Officials said local and foreign voluntary organisations were assisting the government in programmes to provide cooked meals to displaced persons living Vavuniya since their arrival in government-controlled areas during the conflict.

International organisations and aid agencies have said that the nearly three lakh displaced civilians were living in poor conditions in the refugee camps, a charge denied by the Sri Lankan government.

Chairman of Sewalanka Foundation, Kumara Navaratne, a welfare organisation, said over 2,60,000 persons were receiving three meals a day with the assistance of the World Food Programme in Vavuniya, where a large percentage of the refugees are housed.

The programme would continue even after government's 180 day resettlement programme is kicked off, Navaratne said.

Meanwhile, the Chefs Guild of Lanka (CGL) in association with the Lanka Jatika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya (Inc), a welfare body, will organise a feeding programme initially for 10,000 IDPs.

The programme comprises 30,000 food packs per day to include breakfast, lunch and dinner for the 10,000 IDPs. The project will also include a "cooking training" programme for 150 IDP boys and girls living in the Menik Farm complex.