Sri Lankans look towards India amid unprecedented economic crisis
Colombo [Sri Lanka], May 17: As Sri Lanka continues to face a dearth of fuel across the country, the island nation is looking toward India for assistance in the face of the unprecedented economic crisis.
Sri Lanka is currently struggling with acute food and electricity shortages and the recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a clampdown on tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic. The country is unable to buy sufficient fuel and gas, while the people are being deprived of basic amenities as well.
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Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in an address to the nation on May 17 gave an account of the grave economic situation facing the island nation and said that the people need to be prepared to make sacrifices.
"The next couple of months will be the most difficult ones of our lives. We must prepare ourselves to make some sacrifices and face the challenges of this period," he further added.
Radhakrishnan who is also a Member of Parliament in Sri Lanka, praised India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the humanitarian efforts towards the crisis-stricken country and called India "the most neighbour."
While addressing the media, he said, "India sent petrol, drugs, food items, everything. We are thankful to Modi .... Without India, we could have not survived at this time.”
On May 4, India supplied nearly 40,000 MT of petrol to Sri Lanka to help ease the fuel shortage in the country, which is reeling under a severe economic and energy crisis. Howbeit, due to plummeting economy, the fuel crisis in Sri Lanka is only exacerbating as people are waiting for petrol with their vehicles and big bottles to stock for their daily use.
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Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down on Monday, following violent incidents reported between pro-government groups and anti-government protesters.
-PTC News
