PM Modi, Sri Lankan President launch Maho-Anuradhapura railway line

India Today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake jointly unveiled the India-backed signalling system for the Maho-Anuradhapura rail line, launched the Maho-Omanthai track, and flagged off a train at Anuradhapura station.

Transcript

00:00Live visuals of Prime Minister Modi in Sri Lanka in Anuradhapura where he is flagged

00:05off the Maho Anuradhapura railway line along in the presence of Sri Lankan President D'Sanayake

00:12which is a significant project, a significant component of India's ongoing collaboration

00:16with Sri Lanka to modernize its railway infrastructure.

00:19The modernization of the Maho Anuradhapura line will enhance the efficiency and safety

00:24of train operations, thereby improving passenger and freight transport between the key regions.

00:30This initiative underscores the deep-rooted partnership between India and Sri Lanka in

00:34the transportation sector.

00:35We are seeing the Prime Minister flagging off the Maho Anuradhapura railway line in

00:40the presence of the Sri Lankan President D'Sanayake.

00:44In addition to the project, India has been instrumental in various railway developments

00:48across Sri Lanka including the reconstruction of the Northern Province's railway network

00:52and the upgrading of the Southern Line.

00:54These efforts collectively aim to bolster Sri Lanka's connectivity and economic growth.

00:59The inauguration of the Maho Anuradhapura railway line by Prime Minister Modi highlights

01:03not just the infrastructural advancement but also symbolizes the enduring friendship and

01:08the cooperative spirit between India and Sri Lanka.

01:11There we see Prime Minister Modi having flagged off the Maho Anuradhapura railway line and

01:16also waving at the scores of supporters who have come in just to look at Prime Minister

01:20Modi in Anuradhapura railway station.

02:50We saw a warm handshake post the unveiling of the plaque before flagging off the train.

03:19Which was pretty evident between the Prime Minister and President D'Sanayake even yesterday

03:23when the Sri Lankan President presented Prime Minister Modi with the Bitra Bhibhushan award.

03:27It really underscores the strong ties between the two nations.

03:30That's absolutely true.

03:32In fact, many critics or skeptics believe that the relation between both would be not

03:37as good as it would be right now.

03:39The body language is different.

03:40Both the Prime Minister and President share a good cordial relation.

03:44In fact, the tweet this morning, Prime Minister said that with my dear friend Anuradhapura

03:54is what the tweet said.

03:56Yesterday, Sri Lankan government conferred the Prime Minister with Sri Lanka Mitra Bhibhushan

04:03medal also.

04:04It's an honor given to the Indian Prime Minister by the Sri Lankan government, highest honor

04:09of the country given.

04:10This also shows how the diplomacy works.

04:14D'Sanayake as a politician was making speeches against India in terms of trying to put out

04:20the previous party.

04:21But as soon as he sat in the chair, it's completely different.

04:24The first state visit of D'Sanayake, President D'Sanayake was India.

04:28And the first foreign dignitary or delegate to visit Sri Lanka is Prime Minister Narendra

04:34Modi.

04:35In fact, the PM mentioned this yesterday in his press statement that it was his honor

04:39to come here as his first state visit under the leadership of D'Sanayake.

04:45And both have shared a warm relation yesterday also in the state dinner as well as before

04:49that in the press statement and this morning, both having a warm shake hand and it shows

04:54that there's mutual respect, there's mutual trust.

04:57And this is a historic visit also, because before you know, different sector was signed.

05:02After 30 odd years, both the countries are able to talk on the terms of defence exercises.

05:10Since 1990, what we are told is when it was defence, both the countries took a step back

05:15because what had happened with IPKF, since then nothing had happened in terms of defence.

05:19But now, MOU has been signed, joint training sessions will happen, information will be

05:26exchanged, overall security on the Indian Ocean will be a joint collaborative work.

05:30All this have been discussed, so it's a big, big visit for the Prime Minister.

05:35Many takeaways in the last two days and today being the third day inaugural of the government

05:40funded project, Indian government funded project, and now it has ended, he will be flying off

05:45to Rameshwaram from here.

05:47Prime Minister Modi, even yesterday having called the Sri Lankan president a true friend,

05:52a true shield, really underscores the importance of having deeper ties and strong ties that

05:57India and Sri Lanka currently have.

06:01Well, that's absolutely true.

06:02A true friend is what he said.

06:04Many Tamilians also and local Sinhalese, when I spoke to them, they also said India is a

06:08big brother.

06:09We don't look in a fearful manner towards India.

06:12India has always stood by us.

06:14During the economic crisis of Sri Lanka in 2022, it was India who immediately extended

06:20a helping hand to the country with giving economical assistance and during COVID also

06:25giving the vaccines to Sri Lanka.

06:27So, many Tamils also, Tamils here have a sense of gratitude towards India and that was clearly

06:32seen in the diplomacy also, both leaders sharing a warm gesture, sharing shake hands and the

06:37biggest takeaway was Prime Minister Modi conferred with Sri Lankan Mitra Vibhushan, a very rare

06:43to be given out to other foreign delegates and Prime Minister yesterday had received

06:47it and you also saw the visuals yesterday, both of them taking their hand, holding it

06:52together and lifting the hand, giving out a gesture that India and Sri Lanka's ties

06:57have grown much stronger because of this visit.

07:00You know, how do these infrastructure projects reflect the current phase of India-Sri Lanka

07:05relations?

07:06What's your perspective on that?

07:07Well, there's a lot of takeaways, not just the railway project, but there's also Sampur

07:11NTPC power plant that the Prime Minister inaugurated virtually, a lot of developments on energy

07:16sector, digitization of economy, UPI has made inroads into Sri Lanka.

07:21Many Indian tourists, when they go to hotels and restaurants and other tourist places,

07:26they can use their UPI, they don't have to exchange currencies, their phone, whatever

07:31wallet they have, they can use the transaction through that.

07:34So, big, big, big takeaways in the last few years, but this time around, energy sector

07:39has been the main priority for both the countries with solar power plant of the NTPC being inaugurated

07:45and in the old eastern side of the Sri Lanka, Trincomalee, that's the place where the power

07:51plant, Sampur power plant was inaugurated is what you are told.

07:54The locals here also have a sense of gratitude because investments are coming in because

07:58of India.

07:59One of the locals yesterday when I was talking to in Colombo was mentioning that 10 years

08:04back, there was nothing on the main port city in terms of infrastructure.

08:09But since then, a lot of Indian companies have invested.

08:12So India is not just as a government, but also as a soft power has much, much more influence

08:17in Colombo and Sri Lanka.

08:19So, Indians have been investing here, movies run a lot here, people listen to Tamil music,

08:26in Hindi music.

08:27So, there's a lot of sense of the same similarities that we share, both the countries, not just

08:33in terms of diplomacy, but people to people connection has been strengthened with it also.

08:38Absolutely, Nagarjun.

08:39Thank you for bringing us those details on that story.

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