Sri Lankan President says land connectivity with India is viable

17 Jun 2024 CW Team

According to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, a feasibility assessment for a plan to build a land connection with India is nearing completion. Wickremesinghe stated that the feasibility studies preliminary work was finished and the final phase will be finished shortly while on a tour of Mannar's northeastern district to evaluate the development activities taking place there. It is probable that this suggestion and the possibility of a power grid link During the minister's visit, Wickremesinghe stated that a business plan to export the extra renewable energy to India would also be explored. The foreign ministry of Sri Lanka declared on Saturday that Jaishankar would land in Colombo on June 20. However, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs made no formal notice about Jaishankar's visit.

If verified, Jaishankar's trip might mark his first formal, independent trip overseas since taking office as India's External Affairs Minister in the new administration earlier this month.

All Indian initiatives in Sri Lanka, including the wind power project in Mannar by the Adani group and the establishment of an industrial zone in the eastern port district of Trincomalee, will be considered during the visit, according to officials here.

According to reports in the local press, Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda stated that India's unlawful bottom trawling and other fishing practices in Sri Lankan seas will be brought up by the island nation. Fishermen from both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka benefit greatly from the abundant fishing grounds found in the tiny stretch of water known as the Palk Strait. When fishermen from both nations unintentionally enter each other's seas, they are often imprisoned.

Infrastructure Transport

06 Feb 2026

Second Mountain Tunnel Breakthrough in Palghar Advances High Speed Rail

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail (MAHSR) project reached a milestone with the breakthrough of a mountain tunnel in Palghar, Maharashtra. Mountain tunnel MT-six measures 454 metres long and 14.4 metres wide and will accommodate up and down tracks. The breakthrough follows MT-five near Saphale on second January 2026 and the MT-six excavation was completed from both ends using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method. The ministry reported that the tunnelling was completed within 12 months. The New Austrian Tunnelling Method is favoured for its flexibility in complex geology and irregular tunnel s..

Modi Government Pushes Atmanirbhar Container Drive With BCSL MoU

The Union Government advanced a plan to create an integrated, domestically anchored container ecosystem with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the Bharat Container Shipping Line (BCSL). The MoU was signed by key agencies including the Shipping Corporation of India and Container Corporation of India alongside major port authorities and Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, in the presence of senior ministers. The initiative aligns with the Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme announced in the Union Budget 2026–2..

Ministry Reports Gains In Mobility For Marginalised Communities

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing skill development, education and rehabilitation schemes to promote socio-economic mobility and sustainable livelihoods for marginalised and disadvantaged communities across the country. Programmes target Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, Economically Weaker Sections, De-notified Tribes and Safai Karamcharis through specialised implementing corporations and empanelled training institutes. Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi Yojana, or PM-DAKSH, provided skill training and placement support through the Nati..