India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to visit Sri Lanka tomorrow

India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will embark on a three-day official visit to Sri Lanka tomorrow (Nov. 01), the Indian government said in a statement.

During the visit, Minister Sitharaman will deliver the keynote address as the guest of honor at the ‘NAAM 200’ organized by the Sri Lankan government to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the arrival of India-origin Tamils (IOTs) to Sri Lanka, on November 02 at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo.

The Indian finance minister will also give the keynote address at the India Sri Lanka Business Summit themed ‘Enhancing Connectivity: Partnering for Prosperity’. It is jointly organized by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), the Indo-Lanka Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, on November 02, at Hotel Taj Samudra in Colombo.

As part of the official visit, Minister Sitharaman will engage in bilateral discussions with President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

She will witness the exchange of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Solar Electrification of Religious Places in Sri Lanka wherein India will allocate INR 82.40 crores out of the Indian government grant assistance of INR 107.47 crores earmarked for the promotion of Buddhist ties.

Minister Sitharaman will also inaugurate SBI Branches at Trincomalee and Jaffna on November 02 and 03, respectively.

She will visit Sri Dalada Maligawa (The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic) in Kandy, Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, Thirukoneswaram Temple in Trincomalee and Nallur Kandaswamy Temple in Jaffna during the course of her visit to Sri Lanka.

Besides the above engagements, Minister Sitharaman is also slated to visit Lanka IOC Oil Tank Farms, Jaffna Cultural Centre and Jaffna Public Library during her visit.