Skip to content
ForumIAS Blog
  • Study Resources
    • Yojana and Kurukshetra Summaries
    • Government Schemes and Program
    • Government | Bills | Acts | Laws | Regulations
    • Economy
    • Environment
    • Guide : Indian Polity for UPSC Civil Services Examination
    • Qrious Project
    • Prelims 2020- Learn with ForumIAS
  • Current Affairs
    • Current Affairs- Main
    • Subject-Wise News
      • History News
      • Polity News
      • Economy News
      • Environment News
      • IR News
      • Society News
      • Disaster News
      • Social issues News
      • Geography News
      • Security News
      • S&T News
      • Agriculture News
    • Factly for Prelims
    • Weekly Current Affairs
      • Weekly Current Affairs Highlights
      • Weekly Current Affairs Compilations
    • Monthly Current Affairs
  • Prelims 2022
    • Prelims 2022 Study Material- Learn with ForumIAS
    • Prelims Capsules 2021
    • Prelims 2021 Material
    • Prelims Guidance
      • UPSC Booklist
      • Story of Minal Karanwal
      • How To Clear Civil Services
      • Abhishesk Surana Rank 10
    • Prelims Previous Year’s Questions
      • UPSC prelims question paper
      • Subject-wise PYQs
    • Prelims Question Bank
    • Static Material for Prelims
      • Polity Guide
      • Environment Guide
      • Economy Guide
    • Factly Current Affairs
      • All Factly Articles
      • Factly-Indian Economy
      • Factly-Environment
      • Factly-IR
      • Factly-Science and Technology
      • Factly-Bills and Acts
      • Factly-Schemes and Programs
    • Important CA Topics
  • Buy IAS Books
  • Free Daily Initiatives
    • 7PM Editorial
    • Must Read News Articles
    • 9 PM Current Affair Brief
    • Prelims Marathon
    • Mains Marathon
    • 10 PM Daily Quiz
    • Factly for UPSC Prelims
    • 9 PM Articles List
    • Factly Articles List
  • Question Bank
    • Mains Question Bank
      • Mains Question Bank and Answers-1
      • Mains Question Bank and Answers-2
      • Mains Question Bank and Answers-3
    • UPSC Mains PYQs
      • UPSC PYQs (GS-1 )
      • UPSC PYQs (GS-2)
      • UPSC PYQs (GS-3)
    • UPSC Prelims PYQs
      • Ancient/Medieval History
      • Art & Culture
      • Economy
      • Environment
      • Geography
      • International Relation
      • Modern History
      • Polity
      • S&T
      • Social and Schemes
    • Prelims Question Bank
    • Indian Economy Quiz/MCQs bank
  • Interview
    • Interview – Main Page
    • Interview Process
    • Myths About Interview
    • Board Members Profile
    • Interview Transcripts
    • Common Questions
      • Hobby Based Question
      • Sports Based Question
      • State Based Question
    • Important articles
  • Downloads
    • EPIC/Factly magazine
    • Weekly Current Affairs PDF For UPSC
    • Monthly Current Affairs For UPSC PDF Download
    • Compilation of Initiatives
    • Official Answer Key
    • UPSC Syllabus
      • UPSC Prelims Syllabus
      • UPSC Mains Syllabus
    • UPSC Previous Year Papers
      • Prelims Paper
      • Mains Paper
    • Economic Survey 20-21
  • Toppers Space
    • Toppers Strategy
      • Prelims Strategy
      • Mains Strategy
      • Interview Strategy
    • Topper’s Testimonials and Test Copies
    • Motivation
      • Motivation Articles
      • Articles by Newayn
  • Others
    • Announcement
    • Contact Us
    • Careers

India-Sri Lanka relations

Posted on January 21st, 2017 Last modified on June 29th, 2017 CommentsViews : 2.4k

Brief History of India Sri Lanka Relations


  • India Sri Lanka relationship is 2500 years old with significant cultural and political contacts
  • In the ancient phase of history, Buddhism was introduced in Sri Lanka by Mahinda, the son of Ashoka
  • In the medieval phase of history, the Chola kings like Rajaraja and Rajendra -1 occupied the Northern part of Sri Lanka
  • Sri Lanka was also under British rule and got its independence in 1948. Post independence, both India and Sri Lanka became members of Commonwealth of Nations
  • Indian government intervened in Sri Lankan civil war to bring out peace in the nation.

India’s Intervention for Peace in Sri Lankan Civil War:

Areas of Cooperation:


Diplomatic Cooperation:

  • Diplomatic relations between India and Sri Lanka are marked by visits of high level Government functionaries. A notable diplomatic event in the recent past was our Indian Prime Minister’s address to the Sri Lankan parliament in 2015
  • India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission was established in 1992. The commission facilitates discussions relating to bilateral affairs of both the countries
  • India and Sri Lanka signed a civilian nuclear energy deal in 2015. The agreement aims at cooperation to explore nuclear energy for peaceful purposes

Economic Cooperation:

  •  India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement was signed in 2010. India is Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner
  • India is the source of one of the largest foreign direct investments in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is also a potential source of foreign investment in India

Defence and Security Cooperation:

  • India and Sri Lanka conducts one of the largest joint Military exercises called ‘Mitra Shakthi‘
  • India and Sri Lanka conducts joint Naval exercise called ‘SLINEX‘
  • India is the largest provider of defence training program to Sri Lankan soldiers and Defence officials
  • India, Sri Lanka and Maldives signed a trilateral maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. The cooperation aims at improving surveillance, anti-piracy operations and reducing maritime pollution

Development Assistance:

  • The war between Sri Lankan Government and LTTE came to an end in 2009. The armed conflict led to many casualties and internal displacement
  • As an immediate response India provided all war relief measures including food, medicine etc.,. As a long term measure, India announced reconstruction of 50000 houses to provide shelter to Internally Displaced People (IDP)
  • India is one of the largest provider of development credit to Sri Lanka. As of 2016, a total of USD 1284 million has been provided by India. The credit is mostly provided for the Sri Lanka’s infrastructure development
  • India has provided medical equipment and ambulances to hospitals in Sri Lanka

Cultural and Educational Cooperation:

  • India and Sri Lanka signed a cultural cooperation agreement back in 1977
  • India Sri Lanka foundation was setup in 1998. It aims at technical, scientific, cultural and educational cooperation by engaging civil society organizations of both the countries
  • India cultural centre in Colombo promotes Indian culture by providing courses in Indian music, dance, yoga etc.,
  • India provides scholarships to qualified Sri Lankan students in Undergraduate and research studies
  • Tourism is one of the important areas of cooperation. Sri Lankan tourists are one of the top ten visitors to India
  • Sri Lanka is also a partner in Nalanda university project of India

Areas of Conflict


Fisherman Issue:

Fisherman issue arises from the complicated nature of maritime boundary between the two countries.  The maritime boundary between the two countries is settled according to the United Nations Law on the Convention of Seas (UNCLOS).

 

As per UNCLOS, fishing is allowed in the Exclusive Economic Zone. In the case of India and Sri Lanka, the Exclusive economic Zone (EEZ) of both the countries overlap with each other (see map below). Thus bilateral Maritime Boundary Agreements were signed to decide maritime boundary between two countries (see illustration below the map).

Map Source: Frontline

  1. The Indian fishermen are not aware of the distance they travel and hence mistakenly enter the Sri Lankan waters and get arrested frequently by Sri Lankan navy.
  2. Sri Lanka has accused Indian fishermen of using mechanised trawlers that diminishes the catch of Sri Lankan fishermen and damages their vessels. Thus Sri Lanka wants a ban on mechanised trawlers but no settlement on these issues has been reached
  3. The use of gill nets and synthetic nets by Indian fishermen has also been complained by Sri Lanka for causing damage to the ordinary nets of Sri Lankan fishermen

The Federal Perspective:

  • The maritime boundary agreement that ceded the island of Katchatheevu in 1974 led to longstanding contention with with the Tamilnadu state as it was not consulted on the decision. The state demands for the retrieval of Katchatheevu and the  fishing rights that were traditionally enjoyed by Indian fishermen in that region.
  • The state, through its legislations has demanded centre to take actions against Sri Lankan government for its wartime crimes against Tamils. This led to cancellation of visit to Sri Lanka by our former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2013.

China’s Ambitions:

China has plans to increase its strategic presence in the Indian ocean. Sri Lanka due to its location in Indian ocean is of vital interest to China. Thus China has moved closer to Sri Lanka. Some notable engagements are

  • China has signed many naval agreements and provides military equipments to Sri Lanka
  • China plans to develop the Hambantota deep sea port and Mattala international airport in Sri Lanka

There are reports that China plans for encircling India by building a series of ports in the Indian ocean. This is known as ‘String of Pearls‘ theory. Concrete evidence to support this theory is absent.

There are also concerns from India about the Chinese aircraft maintenance facility in Trincomalee of Sri Lanka as it is a strategic location from our Indian defence perspective.

Bilateral relations between two countries are not always a source of threat however, the docking of a nuclear submarine in Sri Lanka in 2014 has also created concerns for India’s security.

Way Forward:

  • India and Sri Lanka should bring a permanent solution to the issues of fishermen by more bilateral engagements at the highest level of Government
  • The devolution of powers by Sri Lankan Government to ethnic minority provinces has been reported to be inadequate. India has asked Sri Lanka to bring peace to the ethnic demands through a negotiated political settlement
  • Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations between the two countries are stalled for many years. This must be signed to improve the economic cooperation

References:

  1. Ministry of External Affairs
  2. Sri Lankan Embassy
  3. Wikipedia
  4. Times of India
  5. The Diplomat
  6. The Hindu
  7. thewire.in
  8. idsa
  9. Livemint
  10. reuters.com
  11. India Year Book
Print Friendly and PDF
Published January 21, 2017By Sathosh Rajan
Categorized as NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL & SOCIAL

Post navigation

Previous post

India Bhutan relations

Next post

Demonetization and Internal Security of India : by IPS Officer Lohit Matani

Buy IAS Books

  1. Click here to Buy IAS Books →

Prelims 2022 Study Material

  1. Prelims 2022 Study Material- Learn with ForumIAS →

Free IAS Preparation by Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to the blog followed by several Rankholders and ensure success in IAS

Testimonials and MGP Copies

  • [Download] – Vikas Mahato IAS Rank 110 (UPSC CSE 2021) – MGP Test Copies + Testimonial
  • [Download] – Pragya Jat IAS Rank 91 (UPSC CSE 2021) – MGP Test Copies + Testimonial
  • [Download] – Utkarsh Dwivedi IAS Rank 5 (UPSC CSE 2021) – MGP Test Copies + Testimonial
  • [Download] – Ayush Venkat Vats IAS Rank 74 (UPSC CSE 2021) – MGP Test Copies + Testimonial
  • [Download] – Naman Goyal IAS Rank 30 (UPSC CSE 2021) – MGP Test Copies + Testimonial

Most Popular Articles

  1. How to crack IAS in first attempt →
  2. Booklist for Prelims 2020 →
  3. IAS Rank 1 Anudeep D Testimony & Copies →
  4. Inspiring story of Minal, twice failed in Prelims, Now Rank 35 →
  5. Fighting Depression in Times of UPSC Preparation ( & Corona ) →

Strategy And Motivation :

  • Toppers Strategy to Clear CSE
  • Sachin Gupta Rank 3 CSE 2017
  • Rajarshi Shah Rank 81 CSE 2017
  • Life at LBSNAA
  • Rank 54 CSE 2018
  • Suman Sourav Mohanty Rank 9 CSE 2016
  • Sumit Rai Rank 54 CSE 2018
  • Political Science Optional Strategy
  • Avoid Exhausting Attempts in CSE

Preparation Guides

  • Indian Forest Service Preparation Guide
  • Myths about IAS
  • Guide : How to crack IAS without exhauting attempts
  • History | Art and Culture – Updates and News
  • Polity and governance – News and Updates
  • Environment – News and Updates
  • Economy – News and Updates
  • Agriculture – News and Updates
  • Social Issues – News and Updates
  • International Relations – News and Updates
  • Geography – News and Updates
  • Security – News and Updates
  • Disaster Management- News and Updates
  • Science & Tech. – News and Updates
About ForumIAS

ForumIAS is India’s leading Online website for UPSC IAS Exam Online Preparation and guidance. At ForumIAS, we have a dream. Our dream is to make its members achieve their IAS dream. Today thousands of aspirants have joined the elite services such as IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS and other central and state services with the right inputs provided by ForumIAS. Take a look at our IAS Toppers

Free IAS Online Preparation Initiatives by ForumIAS

Current affairs is the most important part of UPSC IAS exam. ForumIAS provides a detailed analysis of important news articles through its 9PM brief. In current affairs reading Editorials Online needs an in-depth focus and hence we provide a separate analysis of daily editorials which is not found in any other website. Click the following link to access these free preparation initiatives in Portal. ForumIAS also provides compilations and Free downloads for UPSC IAS preparation Knowing is never enough for IAS exam. An IAS aspirant must be engaged in answer writing practice to do well in UPSC IAS Mains Exam. ForumIAS has launched a Mains Marathon initiative for IAS mains Online answer writing. Click here to access UPSC Mains Marathon initiative. For Daily Must Read Newspaper articles, Visit Must Read Newspaper page here. Must Read Newspaper is an Initiative by Team ForumIAS to provide Current Affairs links to the Must Read Articles of The Day from Newspaper.

UPSC Syllabus

The most important part of UPSC IAS exam is its syllabus and there is a need to take an in-depth look at it. Click here to view the UPSC IAS Prelims syllabus. Visit UPSC IAS syllabus page here

UPSC IAS Study Material

ForumIAS is the repository of many toppers’ Online study materials for GS Mains and Optional subjects. The most unique thing about it is that they are handwritten by toppers themselves. Click here for UPSC sample notes

Interview Preparation for IAS

Interview is the last and crucial stage for becoming an IAS officer. How to prepare for it? We provide a solution. ForumIAS is the only online website where quality IAS interview preparations happen. Online Current affairs from an interview perspective are extensively discussed and specific preparation based on candidate’s profile and hobbies can be done. Please visit this link for UPSC Interview Preparation At ForumIAS we have an exclusive Online page to read the UPSC Interview Transcripts

Indian Forest Service (IFoS)

IFoS is one of the most sought after All India Service. ForumIAS provides the right approach to excel in this exam through their toppers who have shared their success mantras and their study materials in an elaborate manner.

About Indian Administrative Service (IAS)

IAS is considered as one of the best jobs on earth. IAS officers hold the most important positions in Central and State Governments and in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). They also represent India in international organizations. They take the most important decisions in the administration of Government policies and development programs.

About Indian Police Service (IPS)

IPS officers occupy higher positions in the State Police Departments, Central Armed Police Forces and Intelligence Agencies. Their most important responsibilities are maintenance of Law and Order and internal security.

About Indian Foreign Service (IFS)

IFS officers serve as diplomats in international missions and embassies of India around the world and in prominent international organizations like United Nations (UN), World Bank, and IMF. They work to promote India’s interests from a bilateral and a global perspective. The Study portal is a single point of online IAS preparation through its several initiatives like the Must Read News Articles, the 9 PM Brief, the Mains Marathon. If you are preparing for IAS exam online, ForumIAS is the place to go. ForumIAS is proud of ForumIAS Alumni in UPSC Service who have secured top Ranks in past 5 years.

Guides by ForumIAS

Polity | Environment | Economy | IFoS Preparation Guide | Crack IAS in first Attempt | Interview Preparation Guide

Buy IAS Books

About

  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Our Mission
  • Credits
  • Team
  • Privacy Policy

Reach Us

  • Queries: blog@forumias.academy
  • Support: helpdesk@forumias.academy
  • Enquiry: admissions@forumias.academy

Our Initiatives

  • Must Read News Articles
  • Prelims Marathon
  • Mains Marathon
  • Toppers Interview
  • Preparation Strategy
  • 9 PM BRIEF

Site Links

  • Discussion Forum
  • ForumIAS Academy
  • Blog
  • Portal ( Deprecated )
  • FAQ

Visit Us At

Forum Learning Centers

#Delhi - 19, Pusa Road, 2nd Floor, IAPL House, Opposite Metro Pillar 95-96, Karol Bagh, New Delhi-110005, View Google Map Location

#Patna - 2nd floor, AG Palace, E Boring Canal Rd, Patna, Bihar 800001, View Google Map Location

#Hyderabad - 1st Floor, SM Plaza, RTC X Rd, Indira Park Road, Jawahar Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500020, View Google Map Location

CIN No.: U80904DL2018PTC338126 | GST No.: 07AADCF4830D1Z0

© ForumIAS Blog. Designed & Developed by Stellar Digital Pvt. Ltd.Privacy & Terms of Use