New Delhi: Union Finance Minister and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman will visit to Sri Lanka, beginning from November 1, for three days.
During her visit, she will 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 November 2 at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo.
"NAAM 200" will be graced by President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development Jeevan Thondaman, 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.
According to Ministry of Finance of India, Mrs. 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 November 2 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", Ministry of Finance of India said in its statement.
The Finance Minister will witness the exchange of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Solar Electrification of Religious Places in Sri Lanka wherein India will allocate INR 82.40 crores out of the Government of India (GOI) grant assistance of INR 107.47 crores earmarked for the promotion of Buddhist ties.
Mrs. Sitharaman will also inaugurate State Bank of India (SBI) Branches at Trincomalee and Jaffna on November 2 and November 3 respectively.
Ministry of Finance of India also said that the 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", Ministry of Finance of India further said in the statement.
