Written by Divya ANew Delhi | December 24, 2025 04:00 AM IST 3 min readExternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar calls on Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo on Tuesday. (ANI)External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Tuesday held meetings with Sri Lankan leaders, including President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, and assured them of India’s commitment to the island nation’s reconstruction in the wake of destruction caused by cyclone Ditwah.Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka as PM Narendra Modi’s Special Envoy, pledged $450 million in humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone. Dissanayake called the relief package “a new chapter in Indo-Sri Lanka relations”. The package comprises $100 million in grant and $350 million in concessional credit lines.Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath also recalled the “unprecedented assistance” from India during the country’s economic crisis in 2022-23.Cyclone Ditwah left over 600 people, destroyed hundreds of buildings and displaced around 200,000 people.In a statement after meeting Dissanayake, Jaishankar said India has pledged a reconstruction package of $450 million as part of India’s First Responder activity under Operation Sagar Bandhu.The package will cover rehabilitation and restoration of road, railway and bridge connectivity; construction of houses fully destroyed and partially damaged; support for health and education sectors, in particular those damaged by the cyclone; agriculture, including addressing possible shortages in the short and medium term; and help Sri Lanka improve disaster response and preparedness.“The visit underscores India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and takes place in the context of Operation Sagar Bandhu launched to address the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Monday.Story continues below this adIndia launched Operation Sagar Bandhu to provide relief and recovery assistance of immense proportions to the neighbouring country. Since its launch on November 28, India has provided over 1,134 tonnes of humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, clothing, water purification systems and 14.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment.Later in the day, Jaishankar met leaders of the Indian origin Tamil community. “They shared their assessment of the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah. Highlighted our proposed reconstruction package,” he said on X. The Minister also interacted with Sri Lankan Tamil leaders in Colombo and underlined India’s commitment to reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts.Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka’s leader of the opposition coalition—Samagi Jana Balawegaya—Sajith Premadasa called on Jaishankar in Colombo and thanked India for its support. “In difficult times, true neighbours always come forward. Thank you Dr S. Jaishankar for India’s support to Sri Lanka when it mattered most. May we always choose to stand together as the best of neighbours,” Premadasa said on X after the meeting.Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:S. JaishankarSri Lanka