India sends its first consignment of a $16 million humanitarian aid package to Sri Lanka. Gopal Baglay, the Indian envoy to Sri Lanka, delivered the donation to help mitigate the severe shortage caused by the country’s worst economic crisis in recent years.
The cargo ship carried goods worth $5.6 million including 9,000 MT of rice, 50 MT of milk powder and more than 25 MT of drugs and other supplies. It was delivered from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu to Colombo Sri Lank which was received by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris.
The Indian embassy released a statement regarding the distribution of supplies among vulnerable families in different parts of the country. Additionally, India has also provided a $3,5 billion economic assistance in form of loans and buyers’ credit for medicine, fuel and food.
The island nation is near bankruptcy and is currently battling a severe shortage of food, medicine, fuel, cooking gas and essential items. The residents are forced to stay in the long queues to buy the limited stocks.
About $7 billion in foreign loans due this year have been suspended by Sri Lanka out of the $25 billion to be repaid by 2026. Overall, Sri Lanka owes $51 billion in foreign debt.
