Sri Lanka, 29/1 (AO Bureau): After receiving the Corona Vaccine from India in Sri Lanka, the vaccination program was started in six hospitals around Colombo on Friday. Under this program, doses of corona vaccine were first given to health workers, army personnel, and security personnel. Let me tell you, India has provided five lakh doses of coronavirus vaccine to Sri Lanka for free. The importance of reaching the vaccine in Sri Lanka can be gauged from the fact that Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa himself had arrived at the airport to receive it. He thanked India for the Covishield vaccine.
India has donated vaccines to Sri Lanka under its neighbor’s first policy. India announced last week that it would give Covid-19 vaccines to Sri Lanka and seven other countries – Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and Seychelles, Afghanistan, and Mauritius. India has sent Kovid-19 vaccines as aid to Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and the Maldives as part of its ‘Neighbors First Policy’.
Rajapaksa thanked India
President Rajapaksa was also present when the consignment of the free vaccine reached Colombo International Airport via Air India special aircraft. These doses of vaccines were in 42 compartments. Along with Rajapaksa, Indian envoy Gopal Bagle was also present at the airport in Colombo. Rajapaksa tweeted that five lakh doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were sent by India. Thank you to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of India for their generosity to the people of Sri Lanka at the time of need.