Colombo, February 14: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed India’s support for the welfare of the Tamils of Sri Lanka.
Speaking during his visit to Chennai, Modi said: “Our Government has always taken care of the welfare and aspirations of our Tamil brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka. It is my honour to have been the only Indian PM to visit Jaffna.”
“Through development works we are ensuring welfare of Sri Lanka’s Tamil community. The resources given by our Government for the Tamils have been much more than in the past. The projects include: Fifty thousand houses for displaced Tamils in North-Eastern Sri Lanka; Four thousand houses in the plantation areas. And on the health side, we financed a free ambulance service which is widely used by the Tamil community. A hospital has been built in Dickoyag. To boost connectivity, the railway network to Jaffna and to Mannar is being re-built .Flights have been established from Chennai to Jaffna. I feel happy to share that India has built the Jaffna Cultural Centre which we hope to open soon.”
Tamils’ Political Rights
On the issue of Tamil political rights, Modi said: “Tamil rights have also been taken up by us consistently with Sri Lankan leaders. We are always committed to ensuring that they live with equality, justice peace and dignity.”
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