(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – The Sri Lanka India Society (SLIS) held its Annual General Meeting on September 30, 2019 in Colombo. Patron of the Society, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka H.E. Taranjit Singh Sandhu was the chief guest at the event.
SLIS was founded in 1949, soon after the independence of India and Sri Lanka. SLIS is the oldest and largest friendship society in Sri Lanka.
Delivering the keynote address, the High Commissioner noted that bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka have seen many positive developments in recent times, including the meeting of Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar with Prime Minister Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe in Maldives on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference. Sri Lanka joined CDRI as a Founding member at New York. CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure) is a Coalition set up by India of like-minded countries to improve disaster resilience.
High Commissioner highlighted the development partnership which witnessed new heights recently; flagging off two new trains, made in India and financed under Indian Line of Credit, one to Beliatta in South and the other to Polonnaruwa in the North Central Province. A new contract was signed to supply 2 fully air-conditioned trains to Sri Lanka Railways. He mentioned that after the Easter Sunday blasts that shook the country, Indian tourists have returned to Sri Lanka in large numbers. High Commissioner emphasized that India stands ready to partner with Sri Lanka in its onward journey based on Sri Lanka’s own developmental priorities.
High Commissioner congratulated the outgoing President of the society Mr T.S. Prakash for taking the society’s activities to new heights and welcomed the new President Mr. Rohan Tudawe and the new Executive Committee.
