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'Modi Government Has Done More Than Any Other Indian Government For Sri Lankan Tamils', Says Annamalai
Annamalai speaking about Sri Lanka
Upon returning from his visit to Sri Lanka, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai said that no other Indian government had done as much as the Narendra Modi government for the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils.
Before departing for Sri Lanka, in a dig at the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its allies, he had said that while his party believed in 'doing', other parties believe only in 'saying' and not 'doing.'
In a long thread posted on Twitter, he listed out the initiatives taken by the Modi government across multiple sectors like housing, education, infrastructure, connectivity and culture.
Many initiatives are located in the country's Tamil-majority Northern Province, of which, Jaffna is the headquarters.
Jaffna International Airport
The Indian government gave funds to the tune of 300 million Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR) funded to upgrade the Jaffna airport, which had been shut for civilian operations during the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
It has flights to Chennai, Colombo and Trincomalee.
Colombo-Jaffna Luxury Train
Using money from the US$ 318 million line of credit for railway development extended by India in 2017, a 386-kilometre-long luxury train service from Colombo to Jaffna was inaugurated in January 2022.
Kankesanthurai Port
A ferry service between Kankesanthurai and Karaikal in the union territory of Puducherry is expected to start soon.
India had extended $45.27 million as financial assistance for upgrading this port.
He added that talks are on to start another ferry service between Rameswaram and Sri Lanka.
Housing Project For Malayaga Tamils In Central Province
45000 houses have been handed over to Malayaga Tamils in Nuwara Eliya. These Tamils had gone to Sri Lanka from India, around two centuries ago to work in the tea plantations located in the Central Province.
Thiruketheeswaram Temple
Renovation and kumbhabhishekam of this famous temple located in Matottam town of Mannar District were done with Indian assistance of 326 million LKR.
The temple has been mentioned in Sekkilar's Periyapuranam and compositions by Nayanars.
Jaffna Cultural Centre
This Centre was dedicated to the people of Sri Lanka, a few days back, in a programme that was attended by President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Union Minister L Murugan.
It has been conceived as a reconciliation project primarily aimed at expanding the cultural infrastructure and is located next to the iconic Jaffna Public Library.
Annamalai also added that during the 2022 economic crisis faced by the country, the Indian government had provided over $3.8 billion in financial assistance through various forms like credit lines and currency swap agreements.
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