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Jaishankar visits Sri Lanka to follow up on reconstruction efforts after cyclone
The visit underscores India’s Neighbourhood First policy and takes place in context of Op Sagar Bandhu launched to address the devastation caused by the cyclone
NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday travelled to Sri Lanka as a special envoy of the Prime Minister for meetings with the leadership in Colombo to follow up on relief and reconstruction efforts in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah.
India has been among the main providers of humanitarian aid since the cyclone hit Sri Lanka on November 28, causing widespread flooding and deadly landslides. According to the UN, more than 2.2 million people were affected, and an estimated 1.2 million require assistance.
Jaishankar was received by Sri Lanka’s deputy tourism minister, Ruwan Ranasinghe on his arrival in Colombo on Monday evening. “Look forward to my meetings with Sri Lankan leadership tomorrow,” he said on social media.
The external affairs ministry said Jaishankar is visiting Sri Lanka as a special envoy of the Prime Minister. “The visit underscores India’s Neighbourhood First policy and takes place in the context of Operation Sagar Bandhu launched to address the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah,” the ministry said.
India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu on November 28 and delivered hundreds of tonnes of relief supplies and critical early-recovery capabilities across Sri Lanka, including in areas rendered inaccessible by the cyclone.
New Delhi dispatched relief materials by air and sea, rapidly deployed several specialised search-and-rescue units, medical and engineering equipment, and Bailey bridge systems, and set up a field hospital manned by the Indian Army.
Within the first three days of Cyclone Ditwah, 53 tonnes of emergency relief materials were delivered by Indian Navy warships and heavy-lift aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF). On December 2, an IAF C-17 Globemaster airlifted a modular Indian Army field hospital, including ambulances, trauma care units, operating theatres, and 73 personnel, and on December 6, another 997 tonnes of dry rations and other relief materials were transported by warships from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka.
India was the first country to deploy trained disaster responders in Sri Lanka, and more than 450 people were rescued and assisted by these teams. The Indian Army’s field hospital, located in the Badulla district, has treated nearly 3,400 people.
