India today (June 24) delivered a humanitarian consignment containing 15,000 metric tons of essential items including rice, milk powder and pharmaceuticals to Sri Lanka.

Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay, Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, Minister of Trade Nalin Fernando, MPs M.A Sumanthiran, V. Radhakrishnan, M. Udaya Kumar, Angajan Ramanathan, and several others including Senthil Thondaman welcomed the donation.

It consists of 14,700 metric tons of rice, 250 metric tons of milk powder and 38 metric tons of medicines donated by the people of India.

The total value of this consignment is more than LKR 3 billion, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement.

The consignment of humanitarian supplies underscores abiding people-to-people bonds between India and Sri Lanka as also concerns of the people of India for the well-being of their brethren in Sri Lanka, the statement read further.

These supplies are planned to be distributed among beneficiaries by the Sri Lankan government in the coming days. 

This is the second consignment provided under a larger commitment of 40,000 metric tons of rice, 500 metric tons of milk powder and medicines by the government of Tamil Nadu.

India’s unprecedented economic, financial and humanitarian assistance to the people of Sri Lanka stands at over USD 3.5 billion in 2022.

In addition to the three credit lines to the tune of more than USD 1.5 billion and forex support of around USD 2 billion, assistance from the government and people of India has taken the form of supply of medicines to several health-related establishments in various parts of Sri Lanka, distribution of kerosene among the fishermen of Sri Lanka, handing over of dry rations to needy sections etc.