New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during the All-Party’s meeting on the Sri Lankan crisis said that the situation is a serious one.
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- EAM S Jaishankar during the meeting added that the situation is unprecedented and India is worried about it.
- He further pointed out that “drawing comparisons is uninformed.”
- EAM Jaishankar pointed out the situation is unprecedented and is a close neighbour, the government is naturally worried about the consequences in India.
- EAM further stated that two presentations, one from the political perspective and other from political turbulence in Sri Lanka were done during the meeting.
- The support that India has given 3.8 Billion dollars in assistance. He further added that no other country has provided such help this year.
- The Finance Ministry in a presentation brought out, stagewise, the expenditure to the revenue comparison, liabilities to GSDP, growth rate or liabilities of various Indian states, budget borrowings that they have done, and mortgaging of assets.
- Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Union Minister Parshottam Rupala were present during the meeting.
- According to reports, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra is likely to make a presentation before the members on the situation in Lanka and the assistance that India has given in the past to the island nation.
- “The government is calling for suo motto meeting to address the concerns of several political parties, especially in Tamil Nadu as they are worried about the Sri Lankan crisis and the influx of refugees in the state,” the sources were quoted by newswire ANI.
- In his recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and EAM Jaishankar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed his concern about the situation in Lanka and asked for permission to send relief material to the island nation that is suffering an economic crisis.
- At the all-party meeting on Sunday, both DMK and AIADMK leaders had urged the Centre to intervene in the crisis to help the neighbouring country resolve its crisis.
- Sri Lanka’s Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe issued an Extraordinary Gazette declaring a State of Emergency in the island nation with effect from Monday
- Sri Lanka is facing an economic and political crisis with inflation and a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies.
- Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 73, had gone into hiding after protesters stormed his residence on July 9 and his resignation was finally accepted by the Parliament Speaker. The 225-member Parliament will elect the new president by a vote on July 20.
- The oil supply shortage has forced schools and government offices to close until further notice. Reduced domestic agricultural production, a lack of foreign exchange reserves, and local currency depreciation have fuelled the shortages.
Sri Lanka’s multiple crises have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic which saw the collapse of the crucial tourism industry, which provides foreign currency for imported fuel and medical supplies, and rocked by the supply chain crisis precipitated by the Ukraine war.
The economic crisis will push families into hunger and poverty – some for the first time – adding to the half a million people who the World Bank estimates have fallen below the poverty line because of the pandemic.
Amidst the crisis in Sri Lanka, India has extended this year alone support of over USD 3.8 billion for ameliorating the serious economic situation in the island nation as a mark of its Neighbourhood First policy.