New Delhi: India announced a $450-million reconstruction package for Sri Lanka on Tuesday to support relief and repair efforts in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah.
The package includes $350 million in concessional Lines of Credit and $100 million in grants, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who arrived in Colombo on Monday as a special envoy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Jaishankar, who met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to discuss reconstruction efforts, handed over a letter from PM Modi.
“As your closest neighbour and in line with our ‘neighbourhood 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 at a media interaction alongside his Sri Lankan counterpart Vijitha Herath.
Jaishankar said the assistance will focus on sectors most affected by the cyclone, and will cover repairs of road, railway and bridge connectivity, support reconstruction of damaged houses, rebuild damaged health and education systems, boost agriculture, including addressing possible shortages, and improve disaster response and preparedness.
“We are conscious that work towards mitigating the impact of Cyclone Ditwah on the people of Sri Lanka must be done in the quickest time possible. We are discussing an effective coordination mechanism for earliest possible delivery,” Jaishankar said.
Herath appreciated the “unprecedented assistance” worth $4 billion, including credit lines for essential goods and petroleum, bilateral currency swaps and deferring of loan repayment, provided by India when Sri Lanka faced an economic crisis during 2022-23.
“Through this gesture, India has once again demonstrated its enduring friendship and solidarity,” Herath said.
Cyclone Ditwah, which made landfall on November 26, devastated the island nation, caused great damage to buildings, agriculture and critical infrastructure.
According to a World Bank report, the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah was estimated at $4.1 billion, which is equivalent to about 4% of Sri Lanka’s GDP.
One of the most intense and destructive storms in Sri Lanka’s recent history, Cyclone Ditwah resulted in 643 deaths, and severely affected nearly 2 million people and 500,000 families across the country’s 25 districts.
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