Addressing the Indian Independence Day commemoration at India House, Colombo, on Monday, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Y.K. Sinha stated that it is a common misunderstanding among Sri Lankans that “India” of today is nothing but a creation of British colonialists and proclaimed that, while India may be a new “modern nation state”, it is by no means a “new country”.

Sinha also announced that an International Buddhist Conference will be hosted by Government of India at the holy Buddhist sites of Sarnath and Bodh Gaya in October this year to highlight the deep and abiding cultural and spiritual ties that bind people in both countries.

The diplomat invited India’s neighbors, especially its close neighbor Sri Lanka, to be part of a collective growth and further mentioned that it is India’s hope that Sri Lankan businesses will take advantage of their proximity to India and enter into economic and technical cooperation with Indian companies.

He added that the “motivated and mischievous campaign of disinformation” against the proposed Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India needs to be countered by genuine debate and discussion among stakeholders in Sri Lanka.

New Indian Express reported that, Mr. Sinha dismayed the unenthusiastic attitude of Sri Lankans towards the Emergency Ambulance Service now being jointly run by the Sri Lankan Health Ministry and a well-known Indian firm.

On Indo-Sri Lanka development cooperation, The High Commissioner informed that India will not rush through collaborative projects but do them at a pace desired by Sri Lankans. He further mentioned that India has committed over US$ 2.6 billion in development assistance to Sri Lanka, with over US$ 435 million in outright grants.

Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka was the Chief Guest of the occasion. Other prominent guests included Hon. Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur, a Judge of the Supreme Court of India and Hon. Austin Fernando, Governor of Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. Rest of the invitees included senior officials from Government Ministries, a cross section of businessmen, cultural and media personalities, members of the diplomatic corps, members of the Indian community and students which was extremely well received according to the Indian High Commission.