NEW DELHI: India has pledged a $450 million reconstruction and recovery package to Sri Lanka following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced on Tuesday during his visit to Colombo as a special envoy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking after talks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, Jaishankar said he carried a personal message from Prime Minister Modi to President Anura Kumar Dissanayake, whom he met earlier in the day. “The President was kind enough to receive me this morning, and we had a detailed discussion on the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah,” he said. “In line with our Neighbourhood First and MAHASAGAR policies, it was only natural that India step forward at a time when Sri Lanka faced a crisis,” he said, recalling New Delhi’s support during Sri Lanka’s recent economic difficulties. Detailing India’s emergency response, Jaishankar said relief operations under Operation Sagar Bandhu began on the day Cyclone Ditwah made landfall.

Source: Indian Express December 23, 2025 06:58 UTC