Explore Business Standard
India-Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan government has requested India to prevent its fishermen from illegally entering the country's waters for fishing. Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayaka said the Indian action would be deeply appreciated by the people in northern Sri Lanka as fishing is the only livelihood for them. His remarks came ahead of the likely visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Sri Lanka next month. We know that India has been helping Sri Lanka a lot. But this help towards the people of Jaffna would be the greatest," Rathnayaka told Parliament on Wednesday. They have no other industry and if you go to Mannar and Thalaimannar you will see. Rathnayaka said India was of much assistance to the people of northern Sri Lanka during the country's armed conflict with the LTTE. They gave them protection and we are thankful to India for that," Rathnayaka stressed. The biggest service India, the Tamil Nadu government and, their MPs could do is to help the nor
A proposed multi-product petroleum pipeline between India and Sri Lanka will proceed only if economically viable, not based on political considerations, the head of Sri Lanka's national oil company has said. Deliberation on the possible trilateral cooperation between India, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates was held during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's visit to India last year. Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Chairman W A Rajakaruna told the Daily Mirror newspaper that currently the project is being assessed for its feasibility. "We will assess the project for its feasibility. We will press ahead only if it is feasible. We cannot decide on it over political reasons only," the report quoted him as saying. Rajakurana said he participated in talks about this with President Dissanayake last week. The project is part of the energy connectivity between Sri Lanka and India. There is a proposal for power grid connectivity between the two countries, according to the report. Accor
Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha met Sri Lankan Minister K D Lalkantha and discussed opportunities for bilateral collaboration for the modernisation of agriculture in the island nation, according to an official statement. Jha met Lalkantha, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, here on Monday, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said in a post on X. "They discussed opportunities for India-Sri Lanka collaboration in agriculture modernisation in Sri Lanka, with an emphasis on raising productivity, technology and incomes for farmers," it said. Sri Lanka has a central place in India's Neighbourhood First' policy and Security and growth for all in the region (S.A.G.A.R) vision, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). India has extended overall assistance amounting to USD 5 billion through concessional loans/swap agreements and USD 600 million as grants to Sri Lanka under its development cooperation. These development projects extend to all 25 ...
India has assumed the chairmanship of the Bay of Bengal Inter-Governmental Organisation at the 13th Governing Council Meeting in Male, Maldives.India assumed the chairmanship in the presence of senior government representatives from Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in a press release.The event was part of the high-level conference 'Policy Guidance for Mainstreaming Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in Small-Scale Fisheries', hosted by the Ministry of Fisheries & Ocean Resources of the Maldives government, in collaboration with the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO), that has been successfully convened from February 20 to 22, 2025, in Lankanfinolhu, Maldives.As per the Ministry, the Indian delegation was led by Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries. He highlighted that India is committed to upholding and building upon the achievements of the Bay of Bengal
Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake here on Monday said his government does not have any regret over Adani Group quitting its green energy projects in the island. "We have got an offer to provide wind power at 4.65 US cents so why would we cry over losing an offer at 8.26 cents?" Dissanayake, who is also the finance minister, said without naming the Adani Green Energy during his 2025 Budget presentation. Adani last week announced that they were quitting the over USD 400 million investment for its green energy project in the northeastern region of the island. "There are those who are crying claiming an investor had left the country," Dissanayake said, referring to opposition criticism that the NPP government policies would scare away potential investors. Adani Group left the project after the Dissanayake government decided late in December to review the Adani wind power project and renegotiate the power purchase agreement. The project had also met legal snags with ...
The Sri Lankan economy is expected to grow at 5 per cent in 2025, President Anura Dissanayake said Monday while presenting the budget for this year. This is the first full-year budget presented by the National People's Power (NPP) government, which came to power in November last year. Introducing the budget, Dissanayake said a budget is a "reflection of the government's approach to building the economy and overall policy." He added that this year's budget intends to set a foundation of an economy where "all citizens are active participants, active stakeholders, and active beneficiaries," news portal Adaderana.lk reported. We expect the 2025 economic growth to be around 5 per cent, said Dissanayake, also the island nation's Finance Minister. He asserted that all fiscal measures would be directed towards the commencement of repaying the external debt from 2028. "...Growth in non-debt creating inflows along with robust economic growth and a primary budget surplus of 2.3 per cent of
Opposition MPs on Friday held a protest in the Parliament complex against Sri Lanka continuing to arrest Indian fisherfolk, and demanded that the government find a permanent solution to the issue. The protest was led by DMK, Congress and Left party MPs from Tamil Nadu and joined by parliamentarians from several other opposition parties, including Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Sudama Prasad of CPI(ML) Liberation. The protesting MPs held up placards with slogans that read "Justice For Tamil Fisherman", "Bring Back Our Fishermen", "No More Arrests", and "Tamil Nadu Fishermen Are Indians". DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said the matter of Tamil fisherfolk's arrest was a national issue as they were Indians being mistreated by Sri Lanka. "Many other parties also took part in the protest. It is an issue which should not be restricted to the state. They are Tamil fishermen, they are Indians," Siva told PTI. "Fishermen are being tortured, harassed and killed for years and the ...
The Sri Lanka government will renegotiate the power purchasing agreement with Adani Green Energy for a 484 MW wind power project to bring the cost under USD 0.06 per unit, an official said on Tuesday. "We would want it to be below 6 cents US," government spokesman Nalinda Jayathissa told reporters here. The previous government's decision to sign a 20-year power purchase agreement for the 484MW wind plants at 8.2 cents US was disputed as local bidders had offered lower unit prices. Jayathissa's NPP had earlier vowed to annul the Adani green energy project. The new government in December decided not to sign an agreement at the purchase prices agreed by the previous government in 2023. The government refuted news reports that the Adani Green Energy projects in the northeastern regions of Mannar and Pooneryn projects are to be cancelled. However, the government-appointed committee would review the whole project. Adani Green Energy had also earlier rejected reports that the project h
Five Indian fishermen sustained injuries, including two seriously, in an incident of firing by the Sri Lankan Navy in the proximity of Delft Island early Tuesday, triggering a strong reaction by India. The acting high commissioner of the island nation in New Delhi was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and a strong protest was lodged with the top diplomat. In its reaction, India said use of force is not "acceptable" under any circumstances whatsoever. "An incident of firing by the Sri Lankan Navy during the apprehension of 13 Indian fishermen in the proximity of Delft Island was reported in the early hours of this morning," it said. "Out of the 13 fishermen who were on board the fishing vessel, two have sustained serious injuries and are currently receiving treatment at the Jaffna Teaching hospital," it said. Three other fishermen received minor injuries and have been treated for the same, it added. Indian Consulate officials in Jaffna have visited the injured ...
An enthusiastic Indian diaspora dressed in vibrant traditional dresses on Sunday celebrated India's 76th Republic Day at the country's missions abroad where the national tri-colour was unfurled with global leaders from Nepal, Australia, Singapore, extending their greetings, highlighting their strong friendship with India. In Beijing, officials and diaspora members attended the flag unfurling ceremony on the premises of the Indian Embassy. India's Ambassador to China Pradeep Rawat read out the important parts of the President's speech. "Ambassador unfurled tri-colour at @EOIBeijing marking the #76thRepublicDay. He also read the Hon'ble President's Republic Day message to Embassy officials and members of the Indian community who attended the ceremony in large numbers. The event also included vibrant cultural performances," the Indian Embassy in China said in a post on X along with some pictures. In Sri Lanka, the island nations' Navy band performed Indian patriotic tunes in a ...
India would supply vehicles to be used by the Sri Lankan police under a grant, the Indian High Commission here said on Wednesday. Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Santosh Jha and the top bureaucrat in the public security ministry DWRB Seneviratne have signed the MoU for the grant assistance worth Sri Lankan rupees 300 million The project entails supply of at least 80 single cabs, spare parts and accessories to the police stations in Northern Province of Sri Lanka, which will address a vital requirement of Sri Lankan Police related to enhancing safety of citizens and maintenance of law and order, a release said. India's people-centric development cooperation initiatives based on the needs of the people of Sri Lanka and the priorities of the Sri Lanka government are making a tangible difference to the daily lives of the people in all the 25 districts of the country across sectors such as housing, health, education, fisheries, transport, renewable energy, livelihood sustenance, ...
Sri Lanka's India-assisted unique ID card project will begin by the end of January, a senior official said on Tuesday, as he mitigated concerns that data from the project would be restricted to the island nation only. The unique digital identity project, a crucial step in Sri Lanka's digitalisation programme, is being implemented with Indian grant assistance. Some SLR 20 billion are needed to implement this project, we aim to receive 50 per cent of that under the Indian assistance programme, Digital Economy Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratna told reporters here. He said that the project will begin by the end of this month. The previous cabinet of President Ranil Wickremesinghe approved the India-funded unique identity card project. India advanced Rs 450 million for the implementation of the project in August 2023. The first phase of the project is to provide for the collection of biographic and biometric information including facial, iris and fingerprints, Weeraratna said. He also
The Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday said it has arrested eight Indian fishermen for allegedly fishing in the island nation's territorial waters and seized two fishing trawlers. The arrests took place on Saturday night "during a special operation conducted in the sea area north of Mannar", it said in a press statement. With this arrest, so far this year 18 Indian fishermen have been arrested and three trawlers confiscated, the statement said. The Navy said "in the dark hours of 11th January", the North Central Naval Command spotted a cluster of Indian fishing boats "engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters. In response, the Northern Naval Command deployed its Fast Attack Craft and North Central Naval Command its Inshore Patrol Craft to drive away those Indian fishing boats poaching in the sea area north of Mannar". "The operation resulted in the seizure of 2 Indian fishing boats and apprehension of 8 Indian fishermen who continued to remain in Sri Lankan waters," it said. The sei
India will provide Sri Lankan Rupees 290 million to develop the Karainagar Boatyard in the Northern Province of the island nation, the Indian High Commission said here on Thursday. The project envisages rehabilitation of Karainagar Boatyard of the Cey-Nor Foundation Ltd, incorporated under the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and operating under the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources. An MoU was signed and exchanged by High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha and the then High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India Kshenuka Dhireni Senewiratne on December 16, the High Commission said in a release. The project will cover civil works and procurement, including installation of plant, machinery, equipment, material, services etc. Once fully operational, the rehabilitated boatyard will augment livelihood opportunities of local fishermen, create more job opportunities in the area, including through small establishments around the boatyard, and