Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his stance on India’s “Neighbourhood first policy” and SAGAR’ vision during his joint press conference with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
On Friday, the Sri Lankan President commenced his trip to India after Colombo witnessed one of its gravest economic crises. The joint Press conference came after the two leaders held bilateral talks over wide-ranging issues.
“I welcome Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and his delegation to India. As he completes one year in office, I congratulate him on this. The people of Sri Lanka faced many challenges last year but like a close friend we stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Sri Lanka in the time of crisis,” PM Modi said during the press conference. “Sri Lanka also has an important place in both India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and ‘SAGAR’ vision. Today we shared our views on bilateral, regional and international issues. We believe that the security interests and development of India and Sri Lanka are intertwined,” he added.
The Prime Minister insisted that both nations have agreed to enhance air connectivity along with other major initiatives. “We agree on the enhancement of air connectivity between India and Sri Lanka. To increase trade and travel by people, we have taken the decision to start passenger ferry services between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanturai in Sri Lanka,” he stressed.
India to Launch UPI in Sri Lanka
PM Modi announced that India is planning to launch UPI in Sri Lanka. He mentioned that this initiative will increase the Fintech connectivity between the two nations. “Today the agreement to launch UPI in India will increase Fintech connectivity,” he said. On Friday, the two nations exchanged several Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs). One of these agreements included the decision to ensure network-to-network agreements for the UPI acceptance in Sri Lanka. PM Modi promoted the acceptance of UPI in both France and UAE during his visit to the nations respectively.
Wickremesinghe’s visit comes after Sri Lanka recovers from a devastating economic crisis that left the country in complete shambles. During his keynote speech, Wickremesinghe lauded the strides India has made in recent years. “I have congratulated Prime Minister Modi on the great strides India continues to make under his leadership in economic infrastructure and technological progress in ensuring growth and prosperity for the people of India,” he said. “We believe that India’s growth will be beneficial to the neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region,” the Sri Lankan President furthered. From cooperation in economic and technological initiatives to agreement on several infrastructure projects, the two leaders spoke on wide-ranging issues. One of them included the issue related to the livelihood of the Sri Lankan fishermen.
PM Modi stated that the talks between the two leaders were focused on the reconstruction and reconciliation of Sri Lanka. “Today, we also discussed the issues related to the livelihood of fishermen. We agree that we should go ahead on the matter with a humane approach. We also spoke about reconstruction and reconciliation in Sri Lanka,” he said. “President Wickremesinghe told me about his inclusive approach. We hope that the Sri Lankan Govt will fulfil the aspirations of Tamils and take forward the process for equality, justice and peace. We hope it will fulfil its commitment to the implementation of the 13th Amendment and Provincial Council Elections,” PM Modi concluded
