India has handed over 125 Mahindra SUVs to Sri Lanka under an existing line of credit. The fleet is part of the 500 state-of-the-art SUVs committed under a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year.
High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay handed over the fleet to Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Security, Tiran Alles for use by Sri Lankan Police to help them provide prompt and efficient services to the public. The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka tweeted that another 375 SUVs will be dispatched to Colombo under an existing line of credit.
The SUVs are part of India’s ongoing efforts to support the cash-strapped island nation and address the serious mobility restriction issues faced by its police due to non-availability of vehicles.
India has extended multi-pronged assistance to Sri Lanka over the last 12 months to help it overcome its worst economic and humanitarian crisis since its independence from Great Britain in 1948. The country has provided economic assistance of about $4 billion to help secure Sri Lanka’s food, health and energy security by supplying essential items such as food, medicines, fuel and kerosene. The neighbours are currently negotiating the crucial debt restructuring scheme, a requirement for Sri Lanka to close the deal with the International Monetary Fund.
