Infra, connectivity to be key focus during Modi’s Sri Lanka visit – report

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming Sri Lanka visit, key focus will be on infrastructure development, with railway projects expected to be inaugurated in Anuradhapura, including track upgradation, signalling and launch of NTPC Sampur Solar Project. 

The solar power project in Sampur, located in the Trincomalee district of eastern Sri Lanka is a joint venture between India’s National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).

This initiative complements other renewable energy efforts in Sri Lanka, including India supporting a project to install rooftop solar systems across 5,000 religious institutions in Sri Lanka, spanning all nine provinces and 25 districts worth $17 million. 

The handover of solar panels and equipment to sites like a Buddhist temple in Hokandara, Sri Aanjaneyar Temple, St. Anthony’s Church, and Mutwal Jumma Mosque occurred in October 2024, involving representatives from the Indian High Commission, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), and Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority.

PM Modi is expected to be in Sri Lanka from 4th to 6th April, his 4th visit to the country since 2014. The Indian leader has been to Sri Lanka in 2015, 2017 and 2019. He is the first foreign head of the government to be hosted by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. 

During the conversation, a key focus will be India’s support to Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring. In early 2023, India became the first country to officially back Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring plan, conveying its support to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as Sri Lanka sought a $2.9 billion bailout. 

Between January and July 2022, New Delhi provided approximately $4 billion in rapid assistance, including credit lines, currency swaps, and deferred import payments, to help Sri Lanka cope with severe foreign exchange shortages and import essential goods. In June 2024, India, alongside France and Japan as part of the Official Creditors Committee (OCC), agreed to a broader debt restructuring deal covering $5.8 billion of Sri Lanka’s bilateral debt.

Another key focus during the visit will be on connectivity, with expected conversation on India, Sri Lanka power grid connectivity. The plan involves establishing a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission link between Madurai in southern India (Tamil Nadu) and Anuradhapura in central Sri Lanka.

 The project is being developed by the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and can help Sri Lanka save a lot of money, reduce reliance on expensive thermal power. 

Also on the anvil, plans to take forward the India Sri Lanka oil pipeline, in which UAE is playing an important role. The project is intended to transport various energy products, such as oil and possibly gas, to meet Sri Lanka’s energy needs, with special focus on connectivity. 

PM Modi travels to Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, on 6th April, in what is seen as a symbolic message on the closeness between the 2 countries. 

On 6th April, which is Ram Navmi, PM Modi will pray at the Sri Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple, which is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples. During Sri Lanka, the PM could travel to the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) Memorial in the country. 

The memorial is a war monument dedicated to the Indian soldiers who lost their lives during the peacekeeping mission in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. Another key announcement also expected on capacity building of Sri Lankan civil servants. 

Source: WION
--Agencies