A ship carrying aid of two billion Indian rupees (US$ 25,799,120) donated by the Indian state of Tamil Nadu reached Colombo on May 22.
The ship carried the essentials such as rice, milk powder, and medicine.
The aid contained 9000 metric tons of rice, 50 metric tons of milk powder, and 25 tons of medicine and medical equipment.
Chairman of Sri Lanka Essential Services, Vajira Abeywardane was among those present to welcome the ship.
Other politicians including Ministers and Ceylon Workers Congress leader, Senthil Thondaman, and India’s High Commissioner, Gopal Baglay were also present.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Sri Lanka G.L. Peiris said that this is most probably the most difficult period that Sri Lanka has had to face since independence. During the turbulent period, the friendship with India has been a pillar of strength.
“And I would like on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka to express deep and warm appreciation for India,” he said.
Chairman of the Essential Services Committee, Vajira Abeywardhane said the goods would be distributed through government village offices. This would be under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s office.
Senthil Thondaman, Leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress said, “We are happy that this would give temporary relief to our people. This is not only for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka but also for all three communities living in Sri Lanka. We received 9000 metric tons of rice today, and we expect around 31000 metric tons of rice in the due course.”
Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay thanked for the help the country received from India.
The assistance which India handed over to Sri Lanka symbolized the deep feeling of friendship between India and Sri Lanka.
He was happy that they can meet some of the requirements of fuel, food, medicine, and essential items, not only the government roots but also through voluntary contributions which have been mobilized by Indian organizations and people.
The Indian state of Tamil Nadu had promised aid including 40000 metric tons of rice, 5000 tons of milk powder, and medicine. The remaining goods are to reach Sri Lanka in the coming days.
The people in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu are also collecting relief items to support Sri Lanka.
A person called S. Shivakumar runs a tea shop in Pudukkottai in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. Outside of his tea shop, there is a signboard requesting funds to help Sri Lanka. People like Shivakumar have launched initiatives like this after a request by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K Stalin.
In the same Indian State, Kovigashri, a student in grade three donated Indian rupees 2000 (US$ 25.80) to Sri Lankan people.
She had initiated to collect the money to buy herself a bicycle. - RVA Sinhala
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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