NEW DELHI: Titled 'message of care' the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka today handed over relief supplies to the island nation.
"A message of care. From the people of India to the people of Sri Lanka. We handed over rice, milk powder and medicines worth SLR 2 billion to Sri Lanka’s finance minister G L Peiris," according to the Indian High Commission adding that more consignments will follow.
The relief supplies went via ship to Colombo and the Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay handed over 9000 mt of rice, 50 mt of milk powder and 25 mt of drugs and medical supplies.
"Sri Lanka today received SLR 2 Billion worth Humanitarian aid including milk powder, rice and medicines from India. Our sincere gratitude to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin
and the People of India for the support extended. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe tweeted.
This is also the first consignment under a larger $16 million commitment of 40,000 MT of rice, 500 MT of milk powder and medicines by Government of Tamil Nadu, according to a release.
"India has not sent any assistance anywhere of this scale ever before. They are to assist us more for which we would be grateful," Peiris said adding that India had so far extended assistance worth $4.5 billion.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister M K Stalin had flagged off the ship laden with relief supplies from Chennai on Wednesday.
The supplies will be distributed among vulnerable and needy sections in various parts of Sri Lanka including Northern, Eastern, Central and Western Provinces by Government of Sri Lanka in the coming days.
Support extended to Sri Lanka ranges from economic assistance worth around $ 3.5 billion, under the Neighbourhood First Policy, supply of vaccines, testing kits, close to 1000 MT of liquid oxygen to combat COVID-19, immediate response by Indian Navy and Coast Guard to mitigate marine disasters.
Sri Lanka is going through the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. A crippling shortage of foreign reserves has led to long queues for fuel, cooking gas and other essentials while power cuts and soaring food prices heaped misery on the people.
India on Saturday provided another 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel to Sri Lanka under the credit line facility to the island nation which is grappling with its worst economic crisis.