Indian Troops To Help Demine Sri Lanka

India will send troops to Sri Lanka to help in demining efforts, even as the island nation has canceled weapon and equipment purchases from China and Pakistan.

About 500 Indian troops will help Sri Lanka demine the areas where the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters had been operating for more than two decades, a senior Indian Defence Ministry official said.

The dispatch of Indian troops coincides with an official announcement that Colombo is canceling a $200 million purchase of ammunition from China and Pakistan. Although the island nation said this move is prompted by the end of hostilities with LTTE, a Foreign Office official said it is a major win for India. Read more ...

India ready to help in de-mining

India has expressed her willingness to help Colombo in de-mining activities in the North where the LTTE has buried a uncountable number of mines.

Meanwhile,Sri Lankan Security forces have near completed de-mining in many areas liberated the LTTE grip recently.

The Indian government has expressed willingness to support to expedite the task of de-mining the former troubled areas where the LTTE buried untold number of landmines. Read more ...

TN CM hails setting aside of Rs 500 crore for Sri Lankan Tamils

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Monday welcomed the announcements made in the Union budget including allocation of Rs 500 crore for rehabilitation of Tamils refugees in Sri Lanka.

"I express my thanks for the allocation of Rs 500 crore towards rehabilitation of Sri Lankan Tamils as announced earlier by the Prime Minister. The Budget placed priority to social justice and would be beneficial to all sections of society," he said. Read more ...

India offers $146m for Tamils

India offers Rs. 5b for displaced persons - Thondaman

Minister of Youth Empowerment and Socio Economic Development and CWC General Secretary Arumugan Thondaman who recently went to India on a goodwill mission said that the Indian centre has pledged five billion rupees assistance to the Government towards the post conflict phase in rehabilitation, resettlement and welfare measures for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi and other leaders whom he met in Chennai also assured to assist the IDPs, he said.

During his meeting with the Tamil Nadu CM, he renewed President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s earlier invitation for the CM to visit Sri Lanka to see for himself the humanitarian and welfare assistance being extended to the IDPs and the invitation drew a positive response from the CM, Thondaman said and added that it was very likely that they will pay a visit soon. Read more ...

Prof. Swaminathan to help revive agriculture in North

The internationally renowned agricultural expert Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, who is also known as the ‘Father of the Indian Green Revolution’ has pledged his fullest co-operation to revamp agricultural activities in the war-torn Northern Province in keeping with the new technologies introduced in several developing countries.

Prof. Swaminathan who was on a visit to Sri Lanka last week met Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare and Jaffna District Parliamentarian Douglas Devananda at the Taj Samudra on Thursday.

Minister Devananda outlined the current socio-economic conditions in the North to Prof. Swaminathan. Read more ...

IAF flies medical team, aid to Sri Lanka

India Friday dispatched a team of 27 doctors and paramedics to the war ravaged northern Sri Lanka, where the large civilian Tamil population is still reeling under the effects of the civil war.

An Indian Air Force (IAF) IL-76 transport aircraft took off from New Delhi for Colombo Friday morning with the medical team, including a surgeon and a paediatrician.

“The team is also carrying about 30 tonnes of medicines worth over Rs.3 crore (Rs.30 million) to replenish stores at the field hospital run by the Indian armed forces in a camp for the internally displaced persons (IDPs),” IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Tarun Kumar Singha said. Read more ...

Sri Lanka and India focus on relief for rescued hostages

Sri Lanka and India are agreed that with the end of military operations in Sri Lanka, the time was opportune to focus attention on issues of relief, rehabilitation, resettlement and re-conciliation including a permanent political solution in Sri Lanka.

This understanding was reached when President Mahinda Rajapaksa met with the Indian Foreign Secretary Mr. Shiv Shankar Menon and National Security Advisor Mr. M.K. Narayanan at Janadhipathi Mandiraya, this morning (21).

The Government of India committed to provide all possible assistance in the implementation of a plan for early resettlement of IDPs in areas such as de-mining, provision of civil infrastructure and re-construction of houses. All these activities will be implemented in close consultation and co-operation with the Government of Sri Lanka. Read more ...

India to work with Sri Lanka to provide relief to victims of conflict

India will work with the people and Government of Sri Lanka to provide relief to those affected by the just-concluded tragic conflict, the government announced here today.

In a statement issued here this evening, the Ministry of External Affairs said the idea is to "rapidly rehabilitate all those who have been displaced, bringing their lives to normalcy as soon as possible." Read more ...

Sri Lanka hails Indian medical aid to war displaced

Sri Lanka has hailed neighbouring India for providing urgent healthcare assistance to thousands of civilians fleeing the island's northern war zone where the troops and the Tamil Tigers are locked in a fierce battle.

Visiting the Indian field hospital at Pulmoddai in the eastern port city of Trincomalee, senior presidential adviser and legislator Basil Rajapaksa Sunday said Sri Lankans would "never forget how India came to the assistance of civilians who were affected by LTTE atrocities".

Nearly 200,000 people have fled the war zone and come to the government-controlled areas since the beginning of this year. They have been temporarily housed at refugee camps and welfare centres in the northern Vavuniya town.

According to reports, the 62-member Indian medical team, including eight doctors, treated more than 10,000 civilians since March 12 at the field hospital, which is equipped with all modern facilities including surgery theatres. Read more ...

India sends a demining team to North

India will soon send de-mining teams to Sri Lanka, and they will facilitate speedy return of civilians to their home villages in the North. Already, the Sri Lanka government completed de-mining in several parts of Mannar, and expects assistance from another team of demining personnel from India to expedite the process. "The government intends to allow more civilians to go back to their homes by accelerating the demining process," said C. R. Jayasingha, Sri Lankan high commissioner to India today (02). Read more ...

India donates 900 tonnes of relief material to Sri Lanka

India on Thursday handed over its second consignment of 900 tonnes of humanitarian relief assistance to the International Red Cross to be distributed among thousands of war-displaced civilians in Sri Lanka.

India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Alok Prasad handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation a consignment of 40,000 family packs of humanitarian relief material intended for the internally displaced persons (IDP) affected by the ongoing conflict in the island's north. Read more ...

India provides One Billion Indian Rupees relief

India announces a grant of Indian Rs.1 billion for relief and rehabilitation for displaced Tamil civilians in the North, The Hindu reported yesterday.

Meanwhile, India extending an overwhelming humanitarian support to Sri Lanka set up an Indian funded hospital in Pulmudai and sent an additional batch of Indian doctors to Sri Lanka in March this year to provide medical aid to the displaced civilians. Read more ...