Page 18 - Sri Lanka

India provides grants to build houses in Buddhist sacred town of Sri Lanka

India has signed an additional grant of Sri Lanka Rupees 150 million to build houses and infrastructure facilities in the Buddhist sacred town of Anuradhapura, the Indian High Commission has said. Santosh Jha, the High Commissioner of India, and the relevant Sri Lankan officials on March 21 exchanged letters about the grant to the island nation. With this, the Indian government's total commitment to the project currently stands at SLR 450 million for the construction of houses and infrastructure facilities in Sobitha Thero village of Anuradhapura. The late Sobhitha Thero was an iconic Buddhist monk in the island nation's good governance movement. Responding to the drastic changes in the economic landscape of Sri Lanka, the Government of India decided to infuse additional funds into nine ongoing grant projects to expeditiously complete these projects, while also minimising the impact of the sharp rise in the cost of construction materials on the original scope of projects. The exten

Foreign research ships allowed for replenishment after Chinese protest: SL

Sri Lanka has said it will allow foreign offshore research ships for replenishments at its ports despite a one-year ban on such vessels, a senior official has said after China protested to Colombo for allowing a German survey ship but turning down Beijing's similar request. This is the first time Sri Lanka has officially admitted that foreign research vessels will be allowed for replenishments since President Ranil Wickremesinghe's government imposed a one-year ban on offshore research vessels in December last year after strong security concerns raised by India and the US following the visit of two Chinese high-tech research vessels in 14 months. "The ban on foreign ships is for research purposes, not on replenishment," the Economy Next portal quoted Niluka Kadurugamuwa, Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, as saying. There was a German research vessel recently for replenishment and Sri Lanka allowed it, he said. Chinese Embassy in Colombo has raised strong protest against the m

Sri Lankan Prez Wickremesinghe instructs Cabinet to prepare for elections

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed his Cabinet to prepare for the presidential election to be held later this year, as the cash-starved nation strives to recover from its worst economic crisis. The next presidential election must be called by the elections commission by September and must be held by mid-November. The parliament election is not due before August of 2025 but President Wickremesinghe has the power to hold it anytime now by dissolving the 225-member Assembly elected in August 2020. Ending speculation, Wickremesinghe during a Cabinet meeting on Monday announced that the presidential election will be held first and instructed it to prepare for the polls, news portal Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday, quoting sources. Citing the Constitution, Wickremesinghe, 74, said the presidential election should take place first, and arrangements will be made accordingly. The election will be the first held after Sri Lanka plunged into a severe economic crisis in

Ballot boxes for Malvides' polls to be placed in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia

The ballot boxes for Maldives' upcoming parliamentary elections will be placed in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, after around 11,000 Maldivians submitted re-registration requests to relocate their polling stations, the country's election commission announced on Sunday. The six-day window for people to relocate their voting stations for the April 21 parliamentary elections expired on Saturday, media reports said, citing an Elections Commission notification. The top electoral body said that ballot boxes for the island nation's elections will also be placed in Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), the capital of Kerala, Sri Lanka's Colombo and Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur after at least 150 people re-register to vote in each of the three countries. "As previously, enough people registered in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. And since 150 people had registered in Trivandrum, India, we have decided to set up a ballot box there," web portal adadhu.com quoted EC's secretary-general Hassan Zakariyya as ...

21 fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka, TN parties tell Centre to seek action

The Tamil Nadu unit of BJP and the PMK on Sunday flagged the arrest of 21 more fishermen by Sri Lanka and urged the Centre to swiftly secure the release of fishers and their boats. Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai and PMK top leader Anbumani Ramadoss said 21 fishermen have been arrested by the island nation. Also, their two boats have been seized. The fishermen were arrested on the night of March 16 by Lankan authorities. Writing to External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, Annamalai said: "We bring to your kind attention the detention of 21 fishermen from Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy and 2 fishing boats belonging to these fishermen were also apprehended. We request the intervention of our External affairs ministry to facilitate the early repatriation of the detainees and the release of their fishing boats." Annamalai posted a copy of his letter to the minister on 'X'. In a post on 'X', Anbumani, also a Rajya Sabha MP, said during the past one week, as many as 58

IOR poised to become economic hub in next 50-60 years: Wickremesinghe

The Indian Ocean region is experiencing tremendous growth and is poised to become a significant economic hub in the next 50 to 60 years, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, calling for extensive trade and economic ties between the island nation and India. Addressing a gathering at the Sri Lanka-India Society in Colombo on Thursday to mark the 76th Independence Day of Sri Lanka and the 75th Republic Day of India, Wickremesinghe said that nations such as India, Indonesia, Iran and Saudi Arabia have a greater role to play in the Indian Ocean region and they have been rapidly advancing in various aspects. "The Indian Ocean region is experiencing significant growth, with countries like India, Indonesia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia rapidly advancing in various aspects. The Indian Ocean region is poised to become a significant economic hub in the next 50 to 60 years, especially as the African region undergoes development," he said. "It is imperative that we initiate this endeavo

China deepens bilateral defence ties with Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal

On Tuesday, India rejected Chinese objections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's weekend visit to Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas, which China claims to be a part of southern Tibet

21 Indians arrested in Sri Lanka for working on tourist visa: Report

Sri Lankan authorities have arrested 21 Indian nationals for illegally operating an online marketing centre in the island nation, violating the relaxed tourist visa norms, a media report said on Wednesday. The 21 Indian men in the age group of 24 to 25, who were in Sri Lanka on tourist visas, were taken into custody on Tuesday by the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported. After a preliminary inquiry, the department raided a rented house in Negombo city, where those arrested were found operating an online marketing centre. The house had been converted into an office space where computers and other devices had been installed, the report said. Under Sri Lanka's law, those who visit the island nation on tourist visas are prohibited from engaging in any paid or unpaid work. The Indian nationals had used the free-of-charge visa condition that Sri Lanka has granted to a set of countries till March 31 as part of an ongoing pilot project to promote ..

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, among countries looking to start rupee trade: Goyal

Many developed and developing countries including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and nations of the Gulf region are keen to start trade in rupee with India as it would help cut transaction costs for businesses, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said. He expressed confidence that the development is going to be a "very game-changing" dimension to India's international trade. "Bangladesh, Sri Lanka are already talking to us and they want us to start this immediately. Other countries in the Gulf region are looking at that. I think it'll take some time for people to see the benefits. And then we'll have more and more developed countries and countries in the Far East also joining the bandwagon. Singapore is already on board to some extent," he said. The minister added that gradually countries are realising that undertaking trade in domestic currencies has several advantages. The minister said that it is now picking up traction and a lot of countries have come forward for this ...

Sri Lanka hopes to seek respite from debt repayment: Wickremesinghe

Sri Lanka hopes to avoid repaying debt till December 2027 after the completion of the ongoing restructuring process and repay them in the period running up to 2042, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Wednesday, as he defended his unpopular reform plans to revive the bankrupt economy. Sri Lanka is currently stuck with debt restructuring with negotiations taking a long to reach an agreement. By 2022, Sri Lanka had to meet external debt repayments worth 6 billion per year. It is 9.5 per cent of the GDP and an amount hard to sustain," he said. "We hope to reduce this to 4.5 per cent of the GDP by debt restructuring, Wickremesinghe, also the cash-strapped island nation's finance minister, stressed. Currently we are actively engaged in discussions regarding the restructuring of all loans including domestic and foreign loans. We are optimistic that these negotiations will reach a successful resolution soon. Our goal is to obtain temporary relief from debt defaults from 2023 to 2027. .

India committed to well-being of Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka: Envoy

India is firmly committed to the well-being and holistic development of the Indian Origin Tamil community in Sri Lanka, India's envoy here said on Monday after meeting the leaders of Tamil Progressive Alliance. During the meeting, the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha also said that it was agreed to work closely toward the well-being of the minority community. The leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) is Mano Ganesan who represents mostly the Western province-based Tamils of Indian-origin. "High Commissioner @santjha met the leaders of Tamil Progressive Alliance. Reiterated India's firm commitment to the well-being and holistic development of the Indian Origin Tamil community. It was agreed to work closely towards this endeavour," Indian mission in Sri Lanka posted on X. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th Amendment which was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987. The 13A provides for the devolution of power to the Tamil

Reliance Consumer to bring Sri Lankan beverage Elephant House to India

With this tie-up, RCP adds another brand to its beverage portfolio. It already has brands such as Campa, Sosyo and Raskik

Santhan, convict acquitted in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, passes away

The assassins of Rajiv were set free by the top court on the grounds of having good conduct in jail

SL sets up fund to help Gaza children affected by Israel-Hamas conflict

The Sri Lankan government will contribute USD 1 million to a fund set up by it to help children in war-torn Gaza who are affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict, it was announced on Tuesday. All ministries and government institutions have been directed to forego Ifthar celebrations during the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and to contribute to the Children of Gaza Fund, a press release issued by President Ranil Wickremesinghe's office said. The Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved the proposal by President Wickremesinghe to create the fund to help children caught in the war in Gaza, it said. Contributions by citizens are also encouraged for this purpose, it said. The government will also donate USD 1 million in aid for the affected children. The aid will be distributed through official UN agencies. Sri Lanka has called for a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza while advocating for a Palestine state. President Wickremesinghe has also highlighted the need to ensure the security of Israel.

Sri Lankan minister calls India 'big brother', thanks PM Modi for aid

Highlighting the development of Sri Lanka, he said, "Tourism is flourishing in Sri Lanka. We are looking at the renewables and the ports and the real estate in Sri Lanka is developing"

Maldives visit of Chinese ship could rouse Indian Ocean security concerns

China's foreign ministry has said research by the vessel was "exclusively" for peaceful purposes to benefit scientific understanding

Higher sales tax drives Sri Lanka inflation to 6.5% in January, shows data

The National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) captures broad retail price inflation and is released with a lag of 21 days every month

Reserve Bank of India, Nepal Rastra Bank sign pact for UPI-NPI linkage

The integration of Indian and Nepalese fast payment systems is aimed at facilitating cross-border remittances between the two countries, RBI said

PM Modi launches UPI, RuPay card services in Sri Lanka and Mauritius

Shaktikanta Das, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Harvesh Seegolam, Governor of the Bank of Mauritius, and Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka, were also present

Third offshore campus of IIT likely to be set up in Sri Lanka: Report

The third offshore campus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is likely to be set up in Sri Lanka, according to sources. The proposal for an IIT in Sri Lanka was announced last November in the 2024 Budget unveiled by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who also serves as the finance minister. According to sources, the Sri Lankan government is in touch with IIT Madras for the ambitious project. A high-level delegation had recently visited the Chennai campus to discuss the future roadmap. The talks are on and the campus is likely to come up in Kandy, a source said. The delegation also visited the Research Park at the campus and interacted with officials about possible areas of engagement, the source added. The Indian government had announced that opportunities for admission to the IITs in India will be provided to meritorious Sri Lankan students from the 2017-18 academic sessions onwards. If the plan for the Sri Lanka campus comes through, it will be IIT