Sri Lanka and India have reviewed the obstacles holding up development projects being built with Indian financial assistance, in talks held at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday.
Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando met Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha to examine problems arising during implementation and the steps needed to resolve them, the President’s Media Division said in a statement reported by Ada Derana.
Particular attention was given to renewing the agreements required to keep ongoing projects running — a signal that some schemes are approaching contractual expiry before completion.
The projects under review span several ministries, including Transport, Highways and Urban Development; Ports and Civil Aviation; Plantations and Community Infrastructure; Housing Construction and Water Supply; Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources; Science and Technology; and Justice and National Integration.
The meeting also covered work financed through the US$450 million loan and grant package extended by New Delhi for disaster recovery and reconstruction, Daily Mirror reported.
Officials discussed setting up a dedicated unit within the Presidential Secretariat to monitor and oversee the progress of India-funded initiatives — an administrative response to the implementation delays that have repeatedly slowed the portfolio.
President’s Chief of Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi attended, along with Finance, Planning and Economic Development Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma and Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Secretary Dr. Kolitha Kamal Jinadasa, and officials from the Presidential Secretariat and the Finance Ministry.
The Indian High Commission was represented by Deputy High Commissioner Maitrey Kulkarni, First Secretary (Political) Navya Singla and First Secretary (Commerce) Saurabh Sabhlok, among other officials.
India remains among Sri Lanka’s largest development partners, and the pace of delivery on its funded projects has become a recurring theme in bilateral engagement over the past year.
