Sri Lanka government is in a hurry to full fill requests made by India regarding the economy and other matters related to India before Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s visit to India, political sources said. Among the strong demands of India, so far are short-term measures to be taken in the face of the country’s economic crisis and steps to be taken for several Indian projects in the future according to these sources.
Indian External Affairs Minister J Jayashankar is said to have given some guidance to Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa in a telephone call in this regard recently.
In addition, the Indian side has requested the government to reach an agreement with the TNA on the issues in the North and East, and a meeting between President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and the TNA Parliamentarians will be held on the morning of the 15th. According to the sources, India has ear marked several proposals for the launch of several investment projects in the Northern and Eastern Provinces as well as for security training programs.
Accordingly, agreements have already been signed for a 100 MW solar power project in Sampur, which is planned to be carried out by a joint venture between the Indian NTPC and the Ceylon Electricity Board. India had earlier requested for the construction of a coal-fired power plant at Samapur as well as a liquefied natural gas power plant, which was canceled by the previous Maithripala Sirisena government.
