Sri Lanka gets relief material from India

Colombo, May 23 (UNI) An Indian ship carrying urgent relief supplies including rice, life-saving medicines and milk powder has arrived here and the consignment has been handed over to the Sri Lankan government, the Indian High Commission said.
Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay handed over the humanitarian assistance worth more than Sri Lankan rupees 2 billion from the people of India to Foreign Minister G L Peiris on Sunday, the Daily Mirror reported.
The consignment consists of 9,000 tonnes of rice, 50 tonnes of milk powder and more than 25 tonnes of drugs and other medical supplies.
The consignment was flagged off from Chennai port by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on May 18. This is also the first consignment under a larger $16 million commitment of 40,000 tonnes of rice, 500 tonnes of milk powder and medicines by the Tamil Nadu government.
The Indian High Commission said the materials shall be distributed among vulnerable and needy sections in various parts of Sri Lanka including the Northern, Eastern, Central and Western Provinces by the Sri Lankan government in the coming days.
Sri Lanka has been wide-ranging shortages of even essential items in the wake of the worst economic crisis that has hit the country since independence in 1948.