Colombo, April 26 (IANS). India handed over two personal watercraft (PWC) and safety gear to Sri Lanka in a ceremony held at the Sri Lanka Coast Guard Headquarters on Sunday.
The Indian High Commission in Colombo posted on the social media platform ‘X’ that India is helping Sri Lanka in enhancing its capacity in Search and Rescue (SAR) operations near the coast.
The Defense Advisor of the Indian High Commission handed over the equipment to the Director of Operations at a ceremony held at the Sri Lanka Coast Guard Headquarters in Mirissa.
As part of its continuous humanitarian cooperation, India has also donated two BHISM (India Health Initiative for Cooperation, Interest and Friendship) cubes to Sri Lanka on 24 April. This has been given under the ‘Arogya Maitri’ initiative.
These modern portable medical units can handle around 200 emergency cases at a time. They are designed to provide rapid relief and are stocked with essential medicines and equipment for basic surgery.
These medical units were transported by the Indian Navy’s diving support and submarine rescue ship INS Inspector, which arrived at Colombo Port on 21 April. The ship has come to participate in the fourth edition of IN-SLN DIVEX 2026, which will run till 27 April.
Taking this partnership forward, the crew of INS Inspector also conducted a yoga session with the Sri Lanka Navy on Saturday. Its purpose is to increase mental strength, balance and better coordination among the soldiers working at sea.
According to the Indian Navy, the In-SLN Diving Exercise (DIVEX) is an important part of the strong maritime cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. Such programs strengthen trust, cooperation between the two countries and the common goal of maintaining stability in the Indian Ocean region. All this is being done under the ‘Mahasagar’ (mutual and holistic advancement of security and development in the regions) vision.
Further strengthening maritime security cooperation, the Indian Navy will also hand over 50,000 9 mm bullets to the Sri Lankan Navy.
–IANS
AY/DKP
