India's assistance to Sri Lanka's former conflict zones has made a difference in the lives of the people, Indian envoy here has said.
On the occasion of the screening of a documentary titled "Beyond Boundaries", a documentary produced by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, India's ambassador to Sri Lanka Y K Sinha highlighted the stages of Indian assistance such as the dispatch of emergency relief assistance and setting up of an Emergency Field Hospital at Pulmoddai.
India has significantly contributed in wide ranging projects in the Northern and Eastern provinces after the end of the nearly three decades-long civil war in 2009.
The LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) was crushed in 2009, ending its fight to create a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces.
Across the five districts of the Northern Province, India deployed seven demining teams which cleared about 70 million square metres of mine-contamination and the organised artificial limb-fitment camps to address the needs of the victims of mines and other unexploded ordnance.
On Sri Lanka's long-term requirements of rehabilitation, re-settlement and re-construction in its post-conflict phase, Sinha pointed out that Indian projects now encompassed virtually all major sectors of the economy, including housing, infrastructure, education, health, agriculture, fisheries, industry, handicrafts, culture and sports.
The MoU between India and Sri Lanka for small development projects upto Sri Lankan Rupees 300 million, enabled successful implementation of a number of projects with short gestation periods, he said.
The High Commissioner highlighted India's assistance, such as the construction of 50,000 houses under grant assistance of USD 270 million, rehabilitation of the Northern Railway lines under a concessional Line of Credit of USD 800 million, wreck-removal and rehabilitation of the KKS Harbour and establishment of Vocational Training Centres.
Sinha further elaborated on India's contribution such as in construction of a Cultural Centre at Jaffna, setting up a 500 MW coal power plant at Sampur, restoration of Tirukatheeswaran temple, establishing an Agricultural Research Institute in Northern Province and expanding the scholarship programme for Sri Lankan students to pursue their higher studies in India.
