Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday, May 3, said the state government will send rice, milk power and life saving drugs to Sri Lanka in the first phase. He also appealed to the people to contribute money for the purpose. Stalin said with the permission of the BJP-led Union government, the state will soon send 40,000 tons of rice, 500 tons of milk powder and life saving drugs to Sri Lanka caught in a severe economic crisis.
He also appealed to the people to donate on humanitarian basis so that necessary items can be bought and sent to the island nation. Earlier, Stalin had requested the Union government to allow the state to ship the essentials, including food grains, vegetables and medicines, from the Thoothukudi port to the Tamils living in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka and Colombo, as well as those working in plantations who are reeling under the severe crisis.
On April 29, the Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted a resolution urging the Union government to positively consider the state government's request to immediately dispatch food and life-saving medicines to crisis-hit Sri Lanka. Chief Minister M K Stalin who piloted the resolution unanimously passed by the House, including the opposition AIADMK and the BJP, said, "We can't see the development in Sri Lanka as the neighbouring country's internal issue. We need to extend humanitarian aid...help should be prompt, on time."
Responding to the Assembly resolution, Jaishankar stated that the island nation would accept inclusive relief on a government-to-government basis. "The Foreign Secretary had spoken to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and highlighted on April 16, that the government of Sri Lanka would be open to humanitarian support on government-to-government basis," the Union Minister said in the letter dated May 1.
Jaishankar asked Stalin to direct the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary to coordinate with the government of India for supply and distribution of humanitarian relief material to the Sri Lankan government. "The relief material will be shared with the government of Sri Lanka to be distributed appropriately in the current circumstances," he said.
With IANS and PTI inputs