India grants Sri Lanka $15 million to promote Buddhist ties

New Delhi : India on Saturday extended 15 million dollars to Sri Lanka for the promotion of Buddhist culture between both the nations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual bilateral meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The grant money will be utilized in renovating Buddhist monasteries, promote the shared culture between both nations with connection to Buddhism and support Buddhist clergy.

During the summit, Modi and Rajapaksa also discussed trade ties between the two countries.

According to a news report, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked his Sri Lankan counterpart to relax temporary import restrictions on some of the Indian products. India also proposed of launching a bilateral air bubble between the two nations for travel purpose.

Both nations also agreed to extend MoU on certain high impact community development projects over the course of the next five years.

During his address, PM Narendra Modi reaffirmed that India sticks to neighbours first policy and prioritizes Sri Lanka in it. “The relations between India and Sri Lanka are thousands of years old. According to my government’s neighbourhood first policy and SAGAR doctrine, we give special priority to relations between the two countries,” he said.

PM Modi also requested Rajapaksa to look into the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils and as a part of reconciliation efforts ensure the government works towards realising their expectations.