Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 28: India on Monday sent around three tonnes of anti-tuberculosis medicines to Sri Lanka, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reaffirming India's support for the island nation's public health system.
Jaishankar said the consignment was transported to Colombo aboard an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft.
“India remains committed to supporting Sri Lanka's public health system. About 3 tonnes of anti-tuberculosis medicines were dispatched to Colombo today aboard an IAF C130J,” he posted on X.
The latest assistance comes amid several ongoing Indian-supported healthcare and development projects in Sri Lanka.
On September 16, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, Health and Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa and India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha jointly laid the foundation stone for a new two-storey Accident and Emergency Unit at the District General Hospital in Mannar.
The project is being implemented with an Indian government grant of SLR 600 million and will include construction of the unit and supply of necessary medical equipment to provide emergency care during the critical “golden hour”.
Jha described the project as part of the longstanding India-Sri Lanka development partnership and said it reflected the two countries' focus on people-oriented development.
Earlier, on September 4, Jha and Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply T B Sarath inaugurated and handed over 24 houses at the 'Suhada Gama' Model Village in Polonnaruwa. Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne also attended the event.
The Model Village Housing Project is being implemented across all 25 districts of Sri Lanka with Indian grant assistance and aims to provide housing to 600 low-income families, with 24 houses in each district. The project was launched under an MoU signed between India and Sri Lanka in October 2017.
The latest Polonnaruwa village was the 21st model village handed over under the project, with the overall programme reported to be around 98.5 per cent complete as of September 4.
Meanwhile, the India-Sri Lanka Foundation (ISLF) held its 41st Board Meeting in New Delhi on August 28, co-chaired by Jha and Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Mahishini Colonne.
The meeting reviewed ongoing projects and approved new proposals in areas including history and culture, education, health, environment, agriculture, women's studies and training. The initiatives included programmes for young journalists, undergraduate exchanges, women's empowerment in the tea sector, book translations, dance training, digital and artificial intelligence skills, health-related knowledge exchanges and academic collaborations.
The ISLF was established in 1998 through a memorandum of understanding between the governments of India and Sri Lanka to promote bilateral ties through economic, scientific, educational, technical and cultural cooperation and people-to-people contacts.
According to the High Commission of India, the foundation has supported around 600 projects worth more than SLR 200 million since its establishment, with over 380 projects being implemented in Sri Lanka.
India's development cooperation in Sri Lanka also includes projects in healthcare, housing, education and infrastructure. The High Commission said several grant-funded initiatives are currently under way across the island.