Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, May 15: In the midst of Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis, India took another step to help the island nation by sending 12 shipments of petroleum totaling over 400,000 metric tonnes (MT). The consignment was announced by the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka via their Twitter account.
“12 shipments and more than 400,000 MT of fuel!! Latest consignment of #Diesel from #India under the credit line for fuel was delivered in #Colombo by Torm Helvig today,” the High Commission of India in Colombo tweeted.
On Thursday, India provided 65,000 metric tonnes of urea to the island nation as part of its response.
The problem was discussed during a meeting between the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, Milinda Moragoda, and the Secretary of India’s Department of Fertilizers, Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, according to the Daily Mirror. Moragoda and Kumar Chaturvedi discussed alternative strategies and steps to ensure that chemical fertilisers are constantly delivered from India to Sri Lanka under the present USD 1 billion Indian lines of credit and beyond.
Since the beginning of the year, India has offered to deliver nearly USD 3 billion in loans, credit swaps, and credit lines to the debt-ridden island nation. India has also shown an interest in cooperating with the new Sri Lankan government.
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its biggest economic crisis since independence, with food and fuel shortages, increasing prices, and widespread power outages affecting many inhabitants.