Colombo visit and key meetings
India’s Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan arrived in Sri Lanka on a two-day official visit, his first trip to the island nation after assuming office. He received a warm welcome at Colombo airport.
He met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, holding discussions on bilateral relations. The visit also included meetings with Tamil leaders from the Northern and Eastern provinces, as well as leaders of the Indian-origin Tamil community.
Measures linked to mobility, housing and connectivity
Among the initiatives highlighted were an extension of eligibility for Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards for Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka, along with simplified documentation and certification procedures to ease travel to India. Under an India-funded housing programme, homes built with Indian assistance have been handed over to plantation workers, aimed at improving living conditions and strengthening ties between the two countries.
Rail services on the Northern railway line have been resumed as part of a post-“Ditwah” cyclone rehabilitation package. In addition, three Bailey bridges—one in Kandy (Central Province) and two in Uva Province—have been constructed to improve road connectivity.
Education, health, agriculture and environment projects
Scholarships provided through the Ceylon Estate Workers Education Trust have been increased to support plantation workers’ children pursuing university and vocational education. In the Eastern Province, training centres for women are to be set up, and agreements have been made to establish neonatal units, as well as eye and mental health units in hospitals.
Plans also include forming contract farming groups in the Eastern Province to benefit more than 3,300 farmers, and developing an Ayurveda village and ward complex. In Mullaitivu District General Hospital, an agreement is being planned to build a new four-storey ward complex, reducing the need for patients to travel long distances for treatment. Sri Lanka has also joined the International Big Cats Alliance, aimed at supporting conservation and research on species such as tigers and leopards.
