India pledges $450-mn relief package as Jaishankar meets top Sri Lanka leaders | India News
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Tuesday held meetings with Sri Lankan leaders, including President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, and assured them of India’s commitment to the island nation’s reconstruction in the wake of destruction caused by cyclone Ditwah. Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka as PM Narendra Modi’s Special Envoy, pledged $450 million in humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone. Dissanayake called the relief package “a new chapter in Indo-Sri Lanka relations”. The package comprises $100 million in grant and $350 million in concessional credit lines. Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath also recalled the “unprecedented assistance” from India during the country’s economic crisis in 2022-23. Cyclone Ditwah left over 600 people, destroyed hundreds of buildings and displaced around 200,000 people. In a statement after meeting Dissanayake, Jaishankar said India has pledged a reconstruction package of $450 million as part of India’s First Responder activity under Operation Sagar Bandhu. The package will cover rehabilitation and restoration of road, railway and …
