Following the recent flooding due to heavy rains in Sri Lanka, the Government of India has responded to a request from the Government of Sri Lanka to send urgent relief assistance for people who have been displaced or affected due to this natural calamity.

The Government of India has accordingly announced a relief package of $1 million, consisting of dry rations (sugar, pulses, salt and some condiments), Meals Ready to Eat, malted food, blankets, mattresses, bed sheets, and water purification kits & tablets. An Indian Air Force aircraft arrived in Colombo this morning with the first consignment of about 25 tonnes of this assistance. The consignment was symbolically handed over at the Banadaranaike International Airport by the High Commissioner of India, Mr. Ashok K. Kantha, to Hon’ble Basil Rajapaksa, Minister of Economic Development of the Government of Sri Lanka. Also present on the occasion were the Minister of Disaster Management, Hon’ble Mahinda Amaraweera and the Deputy Minister of Disaster Management, Hon’ble Duleep Wijesekara, together with other senior officers of the Government of Sri Lanka.

Speaking on the occasion, Hon’ble Basil Rajapaksa thanked the Government and the people of India for rushing this assistance to Sri Lanka at such short notice. He said that India was always the first to respond to Sri Lankan’s call for assistance. High Commissioner Kantha said that the assistance was a gesture of solidarity on the part of the people and the Government of India with the people and the Government of Sri Lanka. He added that India stood ready to provide further help to meet this humanitarian challenge.

Distribution of the relief material received from India is likely to begin on Saturday, 15 January 2011 in Batticoloa.

The second consignment of relief material from India is expected to reach Colombo on 17 January 2011.

(High Commissioner of India Mr. Ashok K. Kantha symbolically handed over the first consignment for the relief material received from India to Hon’ble Minister of Economic Development, Sri Lanka Basil Rajapaksa on 14.01.2011)

(Hon’ble Minister of Economic Development, Sri Lanka Basil Rajapaksa and High Commissioner of India Mr. Ashok K. Kantha interacting with the crew of the special air craft of the Indian Airforce which bought the first consignment for the relief material)

Colombo
14th January, 2011