Jaishankar in Colombo as PM’s special envoy on cyclone relief

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is in Sri Lanka as a special envoy of the Prime Minister for meetings with the leadership in Colombo to follow up on relief and reconstruction efforts in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah.

Dr. Jaishankar was received by Sri Lanka’s Deputy Tourism Minister Ruwan Ranasinghe on his arrival in Colombo on Monday evening.

India has been among the main providers of humanitarian aid since the cyclone hit Sri Lanka on November 28, causing widespread flooding and deadly landslides.

India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu on November 28 and delivered hundreds of tonnes of relief supplies and critical early recovery capabilities across Sri Lanka, including in areas rendered inaccessible by the cyclone.

New Delhi dispatched relief materials by air and sea, rapidly deployed several specialised search-and-rescue units, medical and engineering equipment, and Bailey bridge systems, and set up a field hospital manned by the Indian Army.

Within the first three days of Cyclone Ditwah, 53 tonnes of emergency relief materials were delivered by Indian Navy warships and heavy-lift aircraft of the Indian Air Force.