India-Sri Lanka relations are expected to be further enhanced in four main areas, Food security, Energy security, Currency Support and long-term investment, the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay said yesterday (Aug. 24).

According to a Parliament statement, the High Commissioner remarked while addressing a meeting of the Sri Lanka – India Parliamentary Friendship Association held in Parliament under the patronage of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.

During the meeting, the Speaker pointed out the importance of strengthening the relations between the two countries through the implementation of exchange programs through the Sri Lanka – India Parliamentary Friendship Association and expressed his gratitude for the continuous support provided by India.

Meanwhile, the External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S. Jaishankar informed the Members of Parliament through a video message that India will continue to support the development activities of Sri Lanka.

Members of the Sri Lanka – India Parliamentary Friendship Association including its Secretary, MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Ministers, Members of Parliament and the Secretary General of Parliament Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera were also present. (NewsWire)

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A special exhibition showcasing India’s rich Buddhist heritage to mark the sacred Esala Poya Day was organized by the High Commission of India at Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo yesterday (July 03). 

According to the Indian High Commission, this day coincides with the Indian festival of Guru Purnima, which is celebrated to honour the guru or spiritual mentor who imparts knowledge, guidance and enlightenment. It was on this Poya day that The Buddha preached his First Sermon at Sarnath in India.

The special exhibition showcases a series of photographs depicting significant episodes from the life of The Buddha and some of the prominent Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India. Photographs of over centuries-old sculptures and carvings in India are also exhibited. Ven. Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thera and High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay visited the exhibition.

The Indian High Commission stated that it organises several such exhibitions on India’s Buddhist heritage, the most recent being the ones on the occasions of Vesak and Poson Poya this year at Seema Malakaya and Homagama Poson Zone respectively. (NewsWire)

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The Governments of India and Sri Lanka have exchanged diplomatic notes, paving the way for a three-fold increase in the unit cost of a house under Phase-3 of the Indian Housing Project (IHP) in Sri Lanka.

The Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement that the diplomatic notes were exchanged between the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development, Jeevan Thondaman.

The Indian High Commission stated that this step would now enable expeditious completion of Phase-3 of IHP, under which 4000 houses are being constructed through grant assistance by the Government of India (GOI) in plantation areas of Sri Lanka, spread across 7 Districts in Central, Uva and Southern Provinces. 

Close to 46,000 houses were built in different parts of Sri Lanka under the first two phases of IHP. The next phase for the construction of 10,000 houses in plantation areas, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, shall commence soon.

The High Commission further stated that the exchange of diplomatic notes takes place at an important juncture when the Indian-Origin Tamil (IOT) community who are concentrated in the plantation areas marks 200 years of their arrival to Sri Lanka. 

This also coincides with 100 years of establishment of the Assistant High Commission of India in Kandy, which has been instrumental in implementing several people-centric grant schemes by GOI for the IOT community cutting across areas such as education, health, vocational training, livelihood development and several others, in addition to housing. 

The High Commission added that these milestones shall be commemorated by the Governments of India and Sri Lanka through several joint initiatives along with the establishment of 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two neighbours. (NewsWire)

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A consignment of textbooks printed with the support of India at the State Printing Corporation (SPC) was formally dispatched on Thursday, the 9th of March 2023, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka stated.

The High Commission said in a statement that the textbooks were formally dispatched by Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Education, Dr. Susil Premajayantha, while State Minister of Education Arvind Kumar was also present on the occasion. 

The Indian credit line of USD 1 billion enabled the printing of 45% of textbooks required by 4 million young Sri Lankan students. 

Over USD 10 million out of the credit line was used by the SPC and private importers to procure printing paper and materials from India, the Indian High Commission said. (NewsWire)

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