Thursday Nov 21, 2024
Thursday Nov 21, 2024
Thursday, 12 October 2023 00:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Government of India has reaffirmed its commitment to furthering the development agenda in Sri Lanka.
This commitment materialised through the allocation of additional funds to expedite the progress of nine ongoing development projects in the country, all of which are backed by the Government of India.
A formal agreement solidifying this initiative was signed yesterday in Colombo.
The signing ceremony witnessed the presence of Indian High Commissioner in 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. Representing Sri Lanka were Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabri PC, Minister Jeevan Thondaman, State Minister Tenuka Widanagamage, and MP M. Rameswaran.
The projects include a wide spectrum of initiatives such as modernisation of 27 schools in the Northern Province, housing projects in Mannar and Anuradhapura, and improvements to the Hatton Thondaman Vocational Training Centre and Pussellawa Saraswati Central College. Additionally, a multi-ethnic trilingual school is slated for construction in Polonnaruwa, along with the establishment of 2,889 rainwater harvesting projects in the Jaffna region. Efforts to promote vegetable cultivation in Dambulla and the construction of greenhouse facilities with a capacity of 5,000 tons for fruit preservation are also on the agenda. A new surgical unit for the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital will be swiftly built to boost the healthcare sector.
In addition, a landmark agreement was reached involving the Indian National Dairy Development Board, the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation of India (Amul), and the Cargills (Ceylon) PLC.
This partnership aims to advance Sri Lanka’s local dairy industry, a strategic move prompted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s official visit to India and the allocation of funding for the modernisation of Sri Lanka’s livestock sector.
The main aim of this initiative is to strengthen milk production by an impressive 53% within the first five years, ultimately achieving self-sufficiency in milk production for Sri Lanka within 15 years.
This initiative anticipates empowering around 200,000 local farmers through the provision of high-quality medicines, animal nutrition, and technical support.
Furthermore, this collaborative effort will drive the digitalisation of the livestock sector, infuse investments in cutting-edge technologies to enhance the quality of milk-related by-products and ensure access to milk-related products at affordable prices.
In a nod to the longstanding and robust ties between India and Sri Lanka, a special commemorative logo was also unveiled to mark the 75 years of their bilateral relations.
