India Narrative

Sri Lanka is facing the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. The South Asian Island nation is in the grips of acute shortages of food, fuel and medicines. The 13-hour power-cuts have become the norm and the country was forced to cancel school exams as it could not pay for the imports of paper. And now, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned, and fled to a naval base in Trincomalee. Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves have declined to an alarming $ 1.6 billion in March 2022. However, it has upwards of $ 7 billion debt obligations slated for this year. Amidst the deepening economic crisis, Sri Lanka has defaulted on the $ 51-billion foreign debts. The decision to default was expected and yet it will make it difficult for Sri Lanka to borrow.  To manage the crisis, the government has sought assistance from India, China, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, the regime led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is on a sticky wicket. He has brought in a new

The profound churning in Sri Lanka—an impending regime change now that the Rajapaksa family seems to be throwing in the towel—may chiefly benefit an untested organisation. With the former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and most of the extended Rajapaksa family now holed up at a naval base in Trincomalee, a huge political vacuum has emerged in the island nation. It is here the Front Line Socialist Party (FLSP), a breakaway from the ultra-Left Anatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which had itself mounted two armed revolts against the government in the past, comes in. Highly placed sources told India Narrative that FLSP has been a key player in giving political direction to what had started at Colombo’s Galle Face as spontaneous protests against a virtual economic meltdown. The once powerful Rajapaksa family led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, which had monopolised power became natural targets of the people’s wrath, once shortages kicked in and prices sk

 India handed over 1,000 houses to Tamils in Sri Lanka’s plantation areas on the occasion of Pongal. This is part of the 4,000 houses currently being built under a grant scheme from India. Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay; Sri Lankan Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa and the Minister of State for Estate Housing and Community Infrastructure Jeevan Thondaman handed over the keys to the beneficiaries from the plantation community. Baglay conveyed his greetings to the people on Pongal and Thiruvalluvar Day. In a tweet, the Indian High Commission highlighted the cultural and civilisational ties between India and Sri Lanka. The High Commission also reiterated India’s strong support to Sri Lanka for economic growth. The handover ceremony was attended by a number of Sri Lankan members of parliament. The Indian Housing Project in the island nation is a key development project being executed in a phased manner in which India plans to provide nearly 60,000 houses. In the first two