Colombo (Sri Lanka): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated the newly elected Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe for his election and assured full support to the people of Sri Lanka.
"I extend my congratulations to you on your election as the 8th President of Sri Lanka. You have assumed the high office at a critical time for Sri Lanka. I hope your tenure will nurture economic stabilization as well as fulfil the aspirations of all citizens of Sri Lanka," Modi wrote in a letter to Wickremesinghe. In the congratulatory letter, the PM reiterated that India will continue to be supportive of the quest of the people of Sri Lanka for stability and economic recovery, through established democratic means, institutions and constitutional framework.
"Conveyed (PM Modi) that he looked forward to working closely with H.E @RW_UNP for the mutual benefit of people and strengthening the age-old, close and friendly relations between India and SriLanka," the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka tweeted. India's outreach to crisis-hit Sri Lanka continues as the High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay handed over humanitarian supplies worth around SLR 3.4 billion donated by the people of India to Ali Sabry PC, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Keheliya Rambukwella, Minister of Health and Water Supplies in Colombo on Tuesday.
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Member of Parliament Jeevan Thondaman and Ceylon Worker’s Congress leader Senthil Thondaman attended the event. The large humanitarian consignment consisting of 16,594 MT of rice, 200 MT of milk powder and around 38 MT of medicines were donated by the Government of Tamil Nadu. This was the third such consignment from the Government of Tamil Nadu, which has donated a total of 40,000 MT of rice, 500 MT of milk powder and more than 100 MT of medicines whose total worth is more than USD 22 million. Critical medicines like 25,000 doses of anti-rabies vaccine formed a part of these supplies.
These supplies are distributed among the beneficiaries by the Government of Sri Lanka and the humanitarian supplies which were handed over on 26 July 022 are also expected to reach the beneficiaries in different parts of Sri Lanka in the coming days. The people of India have been complementing the ng Government of India’s efforts in standing with the people of Sri Lanka towards addressing their diverse needs.
To this end, overwhelming and multi-pronged support of over USD 3.8 billion by the Government of India to the Sri Lankan people during the year was strengthened by independent initiatives of various hospitals, Indian community organizations in Sri Lanka and several other entities based in India who donated generously for their brethren in Sri Lanka.