India Provides 75 Buses To Cash-Strapped Sri Lanka Under 'Neighbourhood First' Policy; Know More

India handed over 75 passenger buses to Sri Lanka on January 8 as a part of assistance to strengthen the public transport infrastructure of the debt-ridden country. The move comes as a part of the nation's 'Neighbourhood First' policy. Under this policy, India has been extending multi-pronged assistance to pull Sri Lanka out of the worst economic and humanitarian crisis the country has witnessed since its independence in 1948.

Billions In Aid To Help Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, with a population of about 22 million, has been battling shortages of essentials, from fuel to food, for months. They declared last May that their foreign exchange reserves dropped to a record low and have a debt default of over $51 billion in foreign loans for the first time in the country's history. Extending a much-needed lifeline to the country at the time, India stepped up and gave financial aid of nearly $4 billion to Colombo. Millions of loans and credit lines were offered so that the country could build up its depleted foreign reserves.

While extending the support, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar noted that no other country had offered this level of support to Sri Lanka in 2022. Adding on to this, he addressed the severe crisis the country was going through and expressed that as a neighbour, India will play a supportive role. Staying true to their statement, India continues to extend support by investing in their infrastructure and helping their neighbour recover from the crisis.

Earlier the country had handed over 125 SUVs to the Sri Lanka Police under the line of credit to resolve the mobility restriction issues faced by the police. Just a month later, India has now offered a fleet of transport buses for the island's public transport facility. A report by the Business Standard quoted the Indian High Commission's statement, "Supporting mobility and accessibility in Sri Lanka, the High Commissioner handed over 75 buses for use by the Transport Board. 500 buses are being supplied to Sri Lanka through Indian assistance towards strengthening public transport infrastructure."

Neighbourhood First Policy

Former Prime Minister AB Vajpayee once said, "You can change your friends but not neighbours." As a vital participant in emerging multipolar world politics, it is crucial for India to develop linkages between its domestic priorities and foreign policies. The Neighbourhood First Policy of India is one such core aspect of India's foreign policy that focuses on peaceful relations and collaborative co-development with its South Asian neighbours. The policy conceived by Narendra Modi continues to be taken ahead and implemented by the Foreign Ministry. Over the years, the policy has created newer avenues in spaces of economy, technology, research and education, connectivity, space program, defence-security, and environment, among others.

Despite being the country's primary neighbour, Sri Lanka has faced a strained relationship with India for a long time due to reasons including the large-scale civilian casualties in the civil war in the Tamil-dominated north portion of the island and the growing Chinese influence in Sri Lanka. However, things started changing in favour of Indo-Sri Lankan relations after Maithripala Sirisena was elected president in the 2015 elections. After the world received its formal announcement of Sirisena becoming the president, Modi became the first foreign leader to call and congratulate him on his victory. Sirisena, too, chose India for his first state visit indicating a new bilateral relationship that would tilt from China to cater to Indian sensitivities. Since then, India has maintained a close relationship with their primary neighbour and extended a helping hand in times of crisis.

Also Read: Sri Lanka Economic Crisis: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Flees Country, Resignation Still Awaited