External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held meetings with Sri Lankan leaders today, including President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and pledged $450 million to help with Cyclone Ditwah’s destruction. He is visiting the island nation as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday arrived in Sri Lanka as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy and pledged $450 million in humanitarian assistance to deal with the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah.
Jaishankar held meetings with Sri Lankan leaders, including President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, and assured them of India’s commitment to Sri Lanka’s reconstruction after the island nation bore the cyclone’s brunt.
Last month, Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka on November 27 and killed more than 600 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings, and displaced around 200,000 people. The storm caused landslides and disrupted electricity and water supply. It also damaged crops, tea estates, and critical transport infrastructure like roads and bridges.
In a statement after meeting Dissanayake, Jaishankar said India has pledged a ‘reconstruction package’ of $450 million as part of India’s First Responder activity under Operation Sagar Bandhu.
Jaishankar said the package will cover rehabilitation and restoration of road, railway and bridge connectivity; construction of houses fully destroyed and partially damaged; support for health and education sectors, in particular, those that have been damaged by the cyclone; agriculture, including to address possible shortages in the short and medium term; and to help Sri Lanka improve disaster response and preparedness.
In a meeting with Amarasuriya, Jaishankar said, “Assured India’s steadfast commitment to Sri Lanka’s rebuilding post Cyclone Ditwah. The reconstruction package offered by India is a reflection of the deep bonding between our two nations.”
Pleased to call on H.E President @anuradisanayake in Colombo today.
Conveyed Prime Minister @narendramodi’s warm wishes and message of solidarity in aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah.
Building on our First Responder activity under #OperationSagarBandhu, India will commit to a… pic.twitter.com/gGY9qbiWap
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 23, 2025
As part of Operation Sagar Bandhu, India has provided over 1,134 tonnes of humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, clothing, water purification systems, and 14.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment, according to PTI.
India pressed several naval ships to deliver relief material to Colombo and Trincomalee, such as INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri, INS Sukanya, and INS Gharial.
India also deployed personnel to Sri Lanka, such as two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to conduct immediate search and rescue operations, an 85-member Indian Army Field Hospital that has treated over 7,000 patients, and Indian Air Force and Navy’s helicopters for the evacuation of survivors, transportation of troops, and delivery of relief supplies, as per the news agency.
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