New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to leave for a two-day tour to Sri Lanka on April 4, at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The Prime Minister’s visit to the island nation is set to see multiple collaborations across various segments, including energy, trade and other economic spectrums. 

PM Modi’s visit comes close on the heels of the Sri Lankan President’s admission in its Parliament that the Indian PM is visiting for the ‘stability of their country’.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Sri Lanka assumes significance in light of the tumultuous and turbulent political landscape in the country, marked by violent protests at the country’s key installations.

During his visit, PM Modi will inaugurate a slew of India-assisted projects in Lanka, including the NTPC Sampur Solar Project and other renewable energy projects. With Indian government-sponsored projects taking shape in Sri Lanka and the latter expressing its gratefulness, the relations between the two nations look set for a new level of engagement.

Here, we take a look at how the two nations share ties in areas, ranging from defence to security to tourism.

Defence and security cooperation

The two nations share strong engagements on defence and security co-operation, as the armed forces of the two nations hold collaborations and interactions routinely, every year.

An Annual Defence Dialogue is held between Defence Secretaries every year to review and add momentum to bilateral cooperation. Besides multi-lateral exercises, bilateral exercises SLINEX (Naval Exercise) and MITRA SHAKTI (Army Exercise) are held every year alternatively in India and Sri Lanka. Exercise MITRA SHAKTI was last carried out in Sri Lanka, while SLINEX in Visakhapatnam, last year.

India has also been at the forefront in enhancing the capacity building of Lankan security. A Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) for the Lankan Navy was set up during External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit last year. Indian Navy Dornier Aircraft have been operated by the Sri Lanka Air Force at Trincomalee for the past two years for maritime surveillance. Further, India is also offering 1200 training vacancies for the Sri Lankan Armed Forces annually.

India has been a ‘first responder’ for Sri Lanka with the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard having intervened in Sri Lankan waters to avert large-scale environmental damage, such as MV XPress Pearl in May 2021 and MT New Diamond in September 2020.

Connectivity and tourism

Connectivity and tourism remain other key areas of bilateral co-operation, enhancing economic and financial connectivity, digital connectivity and people-to-people connectivity.

Important projects under this mechanism include commencement of ferry services between Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai, Sri Lanka (October 2023); resumption of air link between Chennai and Jaffna (since December 2022); and launch of UPI QR based payments in Sri Lanka (virtually launched by PM and then President Ranil Wickremesinghe via video conferencing in February 2024).

India extended a grant of $61.5 million to the Lankan government to develop Kankesanthurai port in Sri Lanka and also signed an MoU to formalise the negotiation.

Talks are also underway for starting ferry services between Rameswaram (TN) and Talaimannar, which would require upgradation of infrastructure at respective ports.

ALSO READ: Why Guru ki Maseet in Punjab has no Muslim worshippers

Tourism is emerging as the latest and a significant avenue between two nations. In 2023, Sri Lanka witnessed 3 lakh Indian tourist arrivals, which surged to 4.16 lakh the next year.

Indian diaspora in Sri Lanka

Also, a sizeable population of the people of Indian origin (PIOs), including Gujaratis, Malayalis and Telugu, and Sindhi, stay in Sri Lanka. They have been living there for years and engaged in various business ventures. The Indian population settled there is economically capable and fairly prosperous, and thus has a role to play in shaping the discourse between the two nations. There are more than 7,500 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) staying here, working as professionals in various fields.