India Helps Sri Lanka with New Power Projects and Community Development
On August 29, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, handed over the first payment for Hybrid Power Projects in Delft, Nainativu, and Analaitivu islands. These projects aim to provide energy to the islands, which are not connected to the national grid. India is granting USD 11 million for this initiative.
Jha handed over the payment to Sulakshana Jayawardena, the Secretary of Ministry of Power and Energy and Chairperson of Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA).
Earlier, on August 23, Jha visited the Eastern Province and met with Governor Senthil Thondaman and State Minister of Trade and Environment S. Viyalendiran. They discussed various planned and ongoing projects under India’s assistance and exchanged views on political developments in Sri Lanka.
On August 22, Jha interacted with representatives of Batticaloa District Chamber of Commerce and Batticaloa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, advising them on enhancing business-to-business engagement with India.
On August 21, Jha reviewed the progress of the Tri-lingual Multi-ethnic School being constructed in Polonnaruwa as a High Impact Community Development Project under Indian grant assistance.
On August 20, Jha distributed solar lanterns to beneficiaries of houses built with Indian grant assistance at Pitakanda, Rattotta Estate, reaffirming India’s commitment to the betterment of the IOT community in the plantation regions.
Doubts Revealed
High Commissioner -: A High Commissioner is like an ambassador, a person who represents their country in another country. In this case, Santosh Jha is representing India in Sri Lanka.
Hybrid Power Projects -: Hybrid Power Projects use more than one type of energy source, like combining solar and wind power, to generate electricity. This helps in making power supply more reliable.
Delft, Nainativu, and Analaitivu -: These are small islands in Sri Lanka. India is helping to build power projects on these islands.
USD 11 million -: USD stands for United States Dollar, which is a type of money. 11 million USD is a lot of money, around 90 crore rupees in Indian money.
Eastern Province -: Eastern Province is a region in Sri Lanka. It is one of the nine provinces in the country.
Batticaloa -: Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. It is known for its beautiful lagoon and beaches.
Tri-lingual Multi-ethnic School -: A Tri-lingual Multi-ethnic School is a school where students learn in three different languages and come from different ethnic backgrounds. This helps in promoting unity and understanding among different communities.
Polonnaruwa -: Polonnaruwa is an ancient city in Sri Lanka. It is famous for its historical ruins and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Solar lanterns -: Solar lanterns are lights that get their power from the sun. They are useful in places where there is no electricity.
Pitakanda -: Pitakanda is a small village in Sri Lanka. The High Commissioner distributed solar lanterns to the people living there.