TNA: PM Modi outlines Vision Lanka, vows to step up tourism, power, trade & education ties | India News

NEW DELHI: Asserting that India stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of debtridden Sri Lanka in this hour of crisis, Modi said Friday that India would strengthen maritime, air, energy and people-to-people connectivity between both countries. “The vision is to accelerate mutual cooperation in tourism, power, trade, higher education and skill development. This is the vision — of India’s longterm commitment towards Sri Lanka,” the PM said.

The remarks followed a meeting with visiting Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe during the latter’s first visit to India as president and also since the strife last year over Sri Lanka’s decision to allow a Chinese vessel to dockat the Hambantota port despite strong opposition by India. Modi’s comment about the need to keep each other’s sensitivities in mind served as a reminder to Sri Lanka not to allow the Chinese to carry out any activity on its soil that could undermine India’s security interests.
An agreement between NPCI International Payments Limited and Lanka Pay for acceptance of the UPI application in Sri Lanka and an MoU for cooperation in the field of renewable energy were among five key pacts inked between the two sides.

Asked about challenges posed by China, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said the two leaders made “a comprehensive stock assessment of the challenges they face in the maritime domain” andadded these challenges were “brought up appropriately during the discussion”.
“The Sri Lankan side did convey to us their respect for our security and strategic sensitive concerns relating to what happens to our maritime domain,” Kwatra said.
On the Tamil issue, Modi said Wickremesinghe told him about Sri Lanka’s inclusive approach. He said India would contribute to development programmes in the northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka. “We are celebrating the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. Also, the Tamil community of Indian origin is completing 200 years of their arrival in Sri Lanka. I am happy to say, that on this occasion, various projects worth Rs 75 crore will be implemented for Indianorigin Tamil citizens of Sri Lanka,” the PM said.
Wickremesinghe said he shared with Modi a “comprehensive proposal” for “furthering reconciliation, power sharing through devolution and multiple elements of the northern development plan”.
According to Modi, talks on the Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement will be started soon, opening new possibilities of trade and economic cooperation. “We agreed to enhance air connectivity. To increase business and movement of people, it has also been decided to start passenger ferry services between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka. We decided that work of connecting electricity grids will be expedited,” Modi said.