India and Sri Lanka have agreed to expedite implementation of the post-Ditwah reconstruction package of USD 450 million that New Delhi offered after one of the worst natural disasters hit the country last year.
The issue was discussed when Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Santosh Jha met Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning Anil Jayantha Fernando.
‘‘Agreed to expedite implementation of the post-Ditwah reconstruction package of USD 450 million,’’ Jha said in a post on X.
On November 27 last year, Sri Lanka was hit by the Cyclone Ditwah that affected over three million people, caused widespread flooding and landslides, and resulted in over 640 deaths.
India, as the first responder, launched ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’ on November 28 to provide relief, recovery assistance and restore connectivity in Sri Lanka.
On December 23, India announced a reconstruction package of USD 450 million for Sri Lanka, as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with senior leaders in Sri Lanka and assured Delhi’s steadfast commitment to Colombo’s rebuilding post-cyclone.
The assistance package included USD 350 million in concessional Lines of Credit and USD 100 million of grants.
High Commissioner Jha further added that he discussed other bilateral projects by reviewing their progress. ‘‘Briefed him on the progress on various bilateral projects.’’ Indian projects currently in Sri Lanka cover housing, health, water, infrastructure and technology in addition to the cultural sector. The two sides also discussed and exchanged ideas on potential collaboration in domains of modern financial frameworks and cyber security, Indian High Commissioner Jha added.
(With Agencies inputs)
