The newly appointed High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha visited Kandy on Thursday (Jan 18), highlighting the expanse of India -Sri Lanka relations.
According to the Indian High Commission in Colombo, the High Commissioner sought blessings of the Mahanayaka Theros of Asgiriya and Malwatte chapters, Most Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Mahanayaka Thero and Most Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayaka Thero respectively.
High Commissioner Jha underlined that Buddhism was central to the age-old connection between the people of India and Sri Lanka and briefed the Mahanayaka Theros on various initiatives undertaken by the Government of India (GoI) to strengthen bilateral Buddhist ties. He specifically mentioned that measures are being carried out expeditiously to roll out solar electrification of Temples across the country through GoI assistance.
He offered prayers at the sacred Dalada Maligawa for the prosperity and well-being of the people of the two countries and also for a stronger and deeper connection between them.
The Indian High Commission further said, he also prayed for closer bilateral relations through further diversification in both scale and scope at Kataragama Dewalaya.
High Commissioner Jha visited Hanthana Estate and took stock of the Indian Housing Project. While the Indian Government has already built 50 houses in the Estate under the third phase, more housing units are being constructed in the next phase of the Project. Overall, the Indian Government has committed to 14,000 new houses for plantation workers in the two phases of the project.
The High Commissioner also inaugurated an Ayurveda camp, aimed at the physical well-being of the plantation workers. He also distributed study materials and umbrellas to school-going children in the Estate. He remarked that these are keeping in line with the Indian Government’s firm commitment to the overall upliftment of the plantation workers and the Indian-origin Tamil community in particular.
The Indian High Commission pointed out that a multi-sectoral grant package to the tune of Rs. 3 billion was announced by the Indian Government during the visit of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to India in July 2023. (NewsWire)
