Sri Lanka hit by cyclone opens aid gates, to receive USD450 million from India

JAKARTA - India is committed to providing humanitarian aid of USD 450 million to help recover from the disaster of Cyclone Ditwah that hit Sri Lanka.

This was emphasized by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during a visit to Sri Lanka on Tuesday, December 23.

"Given the scale of the damage, restoring connectivity is clearly a top priority," Jaishankar said at a press conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, December 23, quoted by AFP.

Jaishankar said he had handed a letter from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, regarding his country's commitment to pouring a "reconstruction package of USD450 million" into Sri Lanka.

He detailed that as much as USD350 million would be given in the form of "soft loans," while the remaining USD100 million would be given as grants.

Jaishankar also noted that 1,100 tons of relief materials, including medicines and other essential equipment, had been sent by India to Sri Lanka after the cyclone hit.

According to Jaishankar, India will also seek other ways to reduce the losses suffered by its neighboring country in South Asia, including encouraging Indian tourism to Sri Lanka.

"Similarly, increasing foreign direct investment from India can boost your economy at a critical time," he added.

Cyclone Ditwah hit Sri Lanka, killing more than 640 people last month. According to the World Bank, the cyclone caused flooding, landslides and caused material losses of around USD4 billion or 4 percent of the country's GDP.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said more than two million of his citizens were affected by the cyclone.