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New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) On a heartfelt return to the city where she studied three decades ago, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya delivered a thought-provoking keynote address at the NDTV World Summit 2025, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Neighborhood First” policy as a cornerstone of South Asian solidarity.
Speaking at the India Pavilion under the summit’s theme, “Edge of the Unknown: Risks, Solutions, Renewals”, his address, “Driving change in uncertain times”, expressed gratitude for India’s significant support during Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic crisis with a vision of regional rejuvenation.
Amarasooriya’s words, filled with personal nostalgia and diplomatic significance, underline the deep ties between Colombo and New Delhi. On his first official visit to India after assuming office in September 2024, Amarasuriya met PM Modi at his residence earlier that day.
Their discussions focused on education, women empowerment, innovation, development cooperation and fishermen’s welfare, reflecting the shared maritime and cultural heritage of the two countries.
“Our discussions covered wide-ranging areas including education, women empowerment, innovation, development cooperation and the welfare of our fishermen. As close neighbours, our cooperation has immense potential,” PM Modi posted on Instagram, reflecting the warmth of their exchange.
It set a congenial tone for Amarasuriya’s summit appearance, where, as Sri Lanka’s third female prime minister after Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Kumaratunga, she emerged as a voice of scholarly insight and calm resolve.
Amarasuriya’s address focused on India’s transformational role during the crisis marked by Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic collapse, 7.8 per cent GDP contraction, 69.8 per cent inflation and the country’s first sovereign default since 1948.
Due to ill-judged tax cuts, flawed organic farming policy, 2019 Easter bombings, COVID-19 fallout and Ukraine war-induced commodity shock, Sri Lanka faced a humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations declared a “full emergency”, demanding $47 million in aid. India’s response under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi was swift and unprecedented; More than $4 billion in assistance, including a $500 million currency swap, deferred Asian Clearing Union payments and credit lines for fuel, fertilizer, rice and medicines. Amarasuriya declared, “India redefined leadership in our darkest times.”
“I express my deep appreciation to Prime Minister Modi and the Indian people for standing shoulder to shoulder with us to ensure that essential commodities reach our shores when stocks are dangerously low.
Your support was an affirmation of brotherhood, stabilizing our posture and averting deeper hardship.” He argued that this solidarity embodies the purpose of the summit at risk as a harbinger of revival.
“Risk is the first step towards renewal,” he said, citing Sri Lanka’s recovery. His National People’s Power (NPP) alliance, strengthened by the 2024 election landslide where he secured 655,289 votes, has undergone a remarkable turnaround. Inflation has fallen to single digits, GDP is expected to grow by 5 percent in 2024, and reserves reached $4.5 billion by mid-year.
$3 billion in debt restructuring was waived off and $25 billion repaid over two decades, fiscal stringency implemented with a $3 billion IMF facility, tax-to-GDP ratio targeted at 15 percent by 2025.
Tourism increased by 66 percent, and remittances increased by 11 percent, reducing public debt from 128 percent to an estimated 102.4 percent of GDP by the end of the year. Born in Galle in 1970 to a plantation father and a housewife mother, Amarasuriya recounts his journey from the tea gardens of Sri Lanka to political leadership.
A distant relative of post-independence minister HW Amarasuriya, she attended Bishop’s College, Colombo and spent an exchange year in the US. In 1991, when Sri Lankan universities were closed due to civil conflict, she went to Hindu College, Delhi on an Indian scholarship and earned a sociology degree in 1994.
Later, she gained a Master of Applied Anthropology from Macquarie University and a PhD from Edinburgh, focusing on child protection.
On her revisit to Hindu College the previous day, she was honored with a guard of honor and visited Classroom 27, where the “Harini Amarasuriya Social and Ethnographic Research Lab” was inaugurated.
“Standing here in Delhi, it feels as if I have completed a full circle,” he said. “In 1991, I navigated the flow as a student. Returning now, I see the vibrant transformation of India – a country of 1.4 billion, pulsating with diversity and innovation.”
He said digitalization is the key to Sri Lanka’s renewal. “We have restructured our debt and are digitizing public structures,” he said, referring to e-government procurement systems and digital IDs to streamline services.
By 2025, blockchain and AI-powered analytics for land registries will curb corruption in a country where 24.5 percent of people are poor. “As leaders, we must look at the risks from the perspective of the vulnerable,” he urged, highlighting the resilience of Sri Lankans post-Covid.
Asked whether anthropologists or politicians better understand society, he responded, “The purpose of understanding is to change it. As a politician, I can effect that change.” This blend of education and activism, awarded from the Open University of Sri Lanka and his political entry in 2019, defines his leadership.
Lighter moments highlight his Indian affinity: “I love ‘Chole Bhature’ and Abhiman was my first Hindi film. I speak ‘thodi’ Hindi – enough to hum Lata Mangeshkar.”
His warmth bridged the culinary gulf, delighting the audience. Amarasuriya’s address amid luminaries such as Rishi Sunak and Tony Abbott reaffirmed the pivot to South Asia renewal.
His talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar focused on economic synergy and digital transformation, indicating deep ties. With India as Sri Lanka’s top trade partner and tourism source and Colombo’s apparel investments in India, the partnership flourishes.
As the summit progressed, Amarasuriya’s call for a compassionate alliance under PM Modi resonated; In risk lies opportunity, and in determination, a renewed future.
–IANS
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