Colombo: India has announced a $450-million reconstruction package for Sri Lanka to aid relief and repair efforts in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah.
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who arrived in Sri Lanka this week, handed over a letter from PM Narendra Modi to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake that included a commitment for a package with $350 million in concessional credit lines and $100 million of grants.
“As your closest neighbor and in line with our ‘neighborhood first’ and Mahasagar policies, it was only natural that India step forward at a time when Sri Lanka faced a crisis. We have done so when you were going through economic difficulties as well,” Jaishankar said.
Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka in late November, caused damage to buildings, agriculture and critical infrastructure estimated at $4.1 billion, according to a World Bank report released early this week. This damage is equivalent to about 4% of Sri Lanka’s GDP.
