India ships rice, other essentials to crisis-hit Sri Lanka

By KRISHAN FRANCIS
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka received a first shipment of a $16 million humanitarian aid package from neighboring India to help mitigate severe shortages caused by the country’s devastating economic crisis. The goods worth $5.6 million include rice, milk powder and essential medicines. It was donated by the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and delivered late Sunday to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris. Sri Lanka is near bankruptcy and running short of essentials from food, fuel, medicines and cooking gas to toilet paper and matchsticks. People stand in long lines to buy the limited stocks.