Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman arrived Sri Lanka on an official visit to Sri Lanka,beginning November 1, 2023 for three days.
During the visit, Smt. Sitharaman give the Keynote Address as the Guest of Honour at the ‘NAAM 200’organised by Government of Sri Lanka to commemorate the 200th anniversary of arrival of India-origin Tamils (IOTs) to Sri Lanka, on 2nd November, at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo.
“NAAM 200” will be graced by H.E. Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka, Mr. Dinesh Gunawardena, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mr. Jeevan Thondaman, Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development, senior leaders cutting across political parties, among several other dignitaries. Other invitees from Indian political parties, and Representative of Malaysian Tamil Congress, will also be present in the event.
Union Finance Minister Smt. Sitharaman will also give Keynote Address at the India Sri Lanka Business Summit on the theme ‘Enhancing Connectivity: Partnering for Prosperity’, being jointly organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Indo-Lanka Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, on 2nd November, at Hotel Taj Samudra in Colombo.
As part of the official visit, the Union Finance Minister will have call-on meetings with H.E. Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka and Mr. Dinesh Gunawardena, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
The Union Finance Minister will witness the exchange of the Memorandum of Understanding for Solar Electrification of Religious Places in Sri Lanka wherein India will allocate INR 82.40 crores out of the GOI grant assistance of INR 107.47 crores earmarked for the promotion of Buddhist ties.
Smt. Sitharaman will also inaugurate SBI Branches at Trincomalee and Jaffna on 2nd November and 3rd November respectively.
Union Finance Minister will visit Sri Dalada Maligawa (The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic) in Kandy, Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, Thirukoneswaram Temple in Trincomalee and Nallur Kandaswamy Temple in Jaffna during the course of her visit to Sri Lanka.
Besides the above engagements, the Union Finance Minister is also slated to visit Lanka IOC Oil Tank Farms, Jaffna Cultural Centre and Jaffna Public Library during her visit.