India to Spend $15 Million to Boost Buddhist Ties in Sri Lanka

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced a grant assistance of USD 15 million for the promotion of Buddhist ties between India and Sri Lanka to further enhance bilateral cultural links. The prime minister made the announcement during a virtual summit with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Joint Secretary (Indian Ocean Region) in Ministry of External Affairs Amit Narang said both leaders were unanimous that the ancient cultural links between India and Sri Lanka are "special and must be nurtured" further. In the talks, Rajapaksa noted that sports can act as a bridge to further enhance people-to-people ties and specifically mentioned cricket in this regard.

"Testifying to the long-standing civilisational links and cultural heritage, Prime Minister Modi announced a grant assistance of USD 15 million for the promotion of Buddhist ties between the two countries," Narang said at a media briefing. He said the grant will assist in deepening people-to-people linkages between the two countries through cultural exchanges, archaeological cooperation, reciprocal exposition of Lord Buddha's relics and strengthening Buddhist scholarship.