India commits $450-mn post-disaster reconstruction package to Sri Lanka

India on Tuesday committed a $450-million reconstruction package to Cyclone Ditwah-ravaged Sri Lanka.

- BY S VENKAT NARAYAN, OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

President Dissanayake holds letter from PM Modi

The offer was contained in a letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, handed over to him by visiting External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, now in Colombo as PM Modi's Special Envoy.

Addressing a press conference in Colombo along with his Sri Lankan counterpart Vijitha Herath, Jaishankar said he called on the President, and that they had a detailed discussion on the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

Announcing the reconstruction package, he said his talks with the President centred around how expeditiously this commitment can be delivered.

Jaishankar said: "As your closest neighbour and in line with our Neighbourhood First and MAHASAGAR policies, it was only natural that India stepped forward at a time when Sri Lanka faced a crisis. We have done so when you were going through economic difficulties as well. In the case of Cyclone Ditwah, India has also been a strong advocate of cooperative disaster response. The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure was a notable initiative that we led in that regard.