India to provide $580 million to cyclone-ravaged Sri Lanka
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A view of houses in a flooded area caused by heavy rainfall following Cyclone Ditwah in Niyamgamdora, Sri Lanka, on Dec 2.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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COLOMBO - India has committed US$450 million (S$580 million) in humanitarian assistance to help Sri Lanka recover from the devastating damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah
The cyclone killed more than 640 people when it swept across the South Asian island in December, causing floods and landslides that inflicted about US$4 billion in damage
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described the storm, which affected more than two million people, as the most challenging natural disaster in the island’s history.
Mr Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit, told a media briefing in Colombo he had handed a letter from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mr Dissanayake, committing to a “reconstruction package of US$450 million”.
While US$350 million will take the form of “concessional lines of credit”, the remaining US$100 million will be given as grants.
Mr Jaishankar also noted 998 tonnes of relief material, along with medicine and other necessary equipment, sent to India’s southern neighbour in the cyclone’s immediate aftermath.
“Given the scale of damage, restoring connectivity was clearly an immediate priority,” he said, detailing the Indian military’s assistance in providing portable bridges.
Mr Jaishankar said India would also look at other ways to mitigate the losses, including encouraging Indian tourism to Sri Lanka.
“Similarly, an increase in foreign direct investment from India can boost your economy at a critical time,” he added.
The cyclone struck as Sri Lanka was emerging from its worst-ever economic meltdown in 2022, when it ran out of foreign exchange reserves to pay for essential imports such as food, fuel and medicine.
Following a US$2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund approved in early 2023, the country’s economy has stabilised. AFP
