The Government of India has committed to providing additional funds for the speedy completion of nine development projects in Sri Lanka in a bid to help uplift the lives of Sri Lankan citizens.

According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), the commitment was made during a meeting between the visiting Indian Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar and President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday (Oct 11).

Accordingly, the projects for which additional funds are to be provided are currently supported by the Government of India, while the relevant agreement for this initiative was signed yesterday.

These projects include the modernization of 27 schools in the Northern Province, housing initiatives in Mannar and Anuradhapura, improvements to the Hatton Thondaman Vocational Training Centre and Pussellawa Saraswati Central College, the construction of a multi-ethnic trilingual school in Polonnaruwa, the establishment of 2889 rainwater harvesting projects in the Jaffna area, the promotion of vegetable cultivation in the Dambulla area and the construction of greenhouse facilities with a capacity of 5000 metric tons for fruit preservation. Additionally, a new surgical unit for the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital will be promptly built as part of these efforts.

During the discussion between the two state officials, extensive discussions were also held to further strengthen Indo-Sri Lankan relations, resulting in the signing of three new bilateral agreements aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two countries.

The inauguration of the third phase of the housing project, supported by Indian loan assistance, was also conducted during the meeting. While an initial allocation of Rs. 1.026 million had been allocated per unit for the fourth phase, it was necessary to revise the budget to Rs. 2.8 million per unit due to increased housing unit costs.

An agreement concerning a joint project involving the Indian National Dairy Development Board, the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation of India (Amul), and the Cargills Group of Sri Lanka was also signed with the aim of elevating Sri Lanka’s local dairy industry. This agreement emerged as a result of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s official visit to India and the allocation of funding for the modernization of Sri Lanka’s livestock sector.

The primary objective of this new project is to increase milk production by 53% within the first five years and achieve self-sufficiency in milk production for Sri Lanka within 15 years. As part of this endeavour, it is anticipated that approximately 200,000 local farmers will be empowered through the provision of facilities such as high-quality medicines, animal nutrition and technical support.

Furthermore, this initiative encompasses digitalization of the livestock sector, investments in new technologies to enhance the quality of milk-related by-products and ensuring access to milk-related products at affordable prices.

In addition to this significant agreement, a special commemorative logo was unveiled to celebrate the 75 years of Indo-Sri Lankan relations.

Present at the signing ceremony were the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay, Union Secretaries of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Puneeth Agrawal and J. P. Singh, Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Dr Satyanjal Pandey and Indian Ministry of External Affairs Deputy Secretary Raghu Puri.

From the Sri Lankan side, notable attendees included Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabri PC, Minister Jeevan Thondaman, State Minister Tenuka Widanagamage, Member of Parliament M. Rameswaran, Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Staff to the President Sagala Ratnayaka, Senior Advisor to the President on Economic Affairs Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aruni Wijewardena, Director of Presidential International Affairs Dinuk Colombage and other dignitaries. (NewsWire)

The post India to provide additional funds to Sri Lanka for nine projects appeared first on Newswire.

Plans are underway to sell 33 dairy farms owned by the National Livestock Development Board (NLDB), including Milco and Highland, National Peoples’ Power (NPP) Leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake alleged.

MP Dissanayake told the NPP Mawanella Electoral Convention, that the Sri Lankan dairy farms are to be sold to India’s Amul Dairy Company.

Stating that Cabinet approval has been received to sell Milco, the MP said that a Cabinet proposal has been finalised to sell off ‘Highland’ to India’s Amul Dairy Company.

He further said that the Adigama, Ridiyagama, Narammala and Polonnaruwa dairy farms are among 21 dairy farms belonging to the NLDB that are to be sold under the proposed plan. 

MP Dissanayake pointed out that two committees have been appointed for this purpose.

“One committee has been tasked with valuing the land, trees and plantation in the farms. The second committee headed by the NLDB Director General is tasked with valuing the animals and equipment in the farms,” he added. (NewsWire) 

The post AKD reveals plans to sell Milco & Highland to Amul appeared first on Newswire.

‘Amul’, India’s leading manufacturer of milk and milk products, has been announced as the official team sponsor of the Sri Lanka Men’s national team for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) today announced via Facebook that ‘Amul’ has come on board as the official sponsor of team Sri Lanka. 

The 13th edition of the ICC’s Men’s Cricket World Cup will be held in India from October 5 to November 19, 2023. 

The warm-up matches for the cricket tournament have already commenced, with Sri Lanka having played its first match against Bangladesh. (NewsWire)

The post Sri Lanka cricket world cup sponsor revealed appeared first on Newswire.