India had announced a 100 million dollar line of credit to Sri Lanka last year as part of its economic assistance to help it tide over its economic crisis. The High Commission said that for the supply of essential commodities including food, fuel, medicines, industrial raw materials, a concessional credit facility of USD 100 million was extended by the Government of India to the Government of Sri Lanka in March 2022.
Books of 40 lakh students will be printed
Out of this, the government and private importers have used USD 10 million to procure printing paper and materials from India, it said. According to the High Commission, it is being used to print 45 per cent of the books required by Sri Lanka’s four million students in the academic year 2023. India and Sri Lanka share a multifaceted and multi-sectoral partnership.
India has given 4 billion dollars
“Till date, more than US$4 billion of Line of Credit has been provided to Sri Lanka in various sectors, including essential commodities, petroleum, fertilisers, development of railways, infrastructure, defense sector and renewable energy,” the statement said. In May 2021, the Sri Lankan government announced the first default in history due to non-payment of a foreign debt of $ 51 billion. After this the public had come on the streets against the Rajapaksa family of Sri Lanka.
(with agency inputs)