Sri Lankan finance minister to visit India for financial assistance

Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa will visit India this week to seek financial assistance, state media reported here Monday.

State-owned newspaper Daily News reported that the finance minister had scheduled the meeting during a telephone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Rajapaksa had planned to visit India early this year, but the visit was postponed twice.

Sri Lanka has sought a 1-billion-U.S. dollar credit line from India to purchase essential items, including food and medicine, the Daily News reported.

During Rajapaksa's visit, the two ministers will discuss the above proposal and review the previously agreed 500 million U.S. dollar credit line to import fuel from India.

Prior to the finance minister's visit to India, a joint venture was signed on Friday to establish a 100 MW solar power plant in northeastern Sri Lanka. ■