High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

Sri Lanka has incorporated Millennium Development Goals key performance indicators in our national budget policies, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

Speaking at the Summit of the Millennium Development Goals in New York, he pointed out that as a result Sri Lanka has already attained or is on track to attain the MDGs, despite formidable odds, including the almost thirty years of a violent terrorist movement and the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

“In terms of universal primary enrollment and completion, we had recorded a level of almost one hundred per cent (100%) by year 2007. Gender parity in primary education has reached ninety nine per cent (99%) and in secondary and tertiary enrollment, the ratio of girls to boys exceeds one hundred per cent (100%),” the President said.

Quoting from what Buddha preached in the Maha Parnibbana Sutra, President Rajapaksa expressed deep conviction that “the well-springs of our civilization, nurtured by the Buddhist tradition should guide our approach to economic and social policy making.

At the core of this, there must be a sound scale of values. Nowhere is this better expressed than in the Maha Parnibbana Sutra, the final sermon preached by Gauthama the Buddha. Here, he declares that the moral worth of any society can be assessed by a clear yard stick. This consists of the quality of treatment meted out to women and children. In building a caring and compassionate society over the centuries, we have never lost sight of this ideal.

Emphasizing the imperative need for protecting the environment, the President said, “while we strive to achieve reasonable standards in living, we must not forget the need to avoid treading heavily on the natural environment. The current spate of natural disasters around the world and frequent flood situations in countries, are a stark reminder of the effects of environmental degradation.”

President Rajapaksa urged the world leaders to treat this as urgent and reach consensus on curtailing global warming based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and the Bali Action Plan.

General Vijay Kumar Singh PVSM AVSM YSM ADC, the Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya arrived in Sri Lanka on a five-day official tour.

The Indian Army Chief’s five-member delegation comprised of Mrs Bharti Singh, President, Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA), Major General Harminderjit Singh Sachdev SM, General Officer Commanding, Infantry Division, Brigadier Jatinder Pal Singh, Military Assistant and Mrs Aravinder Kaur.

General Vijay Kumar Singh’s visit to Sri Lanka, seen as a portent for further promotion of goodwill, understanding and military cooperation between the two military establishments in both countries, is the first-ever highest level Army delegation from India to have visited Sri Lanka after the culmination of the war for peace.

Artistes from Sri Lanka jointly performed with artistes from India and Bangladesh at a special musical concert at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 2 September 2010 .

The Sri Lankan artistes were in New Delhi to participate at the World Flute Festival 'Raasrang' organised by the Krishnaprerna Charitable Trust. The India-Sri Lanka Foundation and Artiste Manager and Promoter Mantra-Moods facilitated and supported the Sri Lankan ensemble's participation at the Festival.

The Sri Lankan ensemble had its main performance at the World Flute Festival at the India Habitat Centre on 30 August 2010.

The ensemble consisted Ravibandu Vidyapathi, Anthony Surendra, Nuwan Balasuriya,Tilanka Jayamanne, Jithendra Vidyapathi, Nupathi Nilambara and Sachintha de Silva.