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Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh began his maiden visit to Sri Lanka on 8 September 2026 with an interaction with the Indian diaspora in Colombo, saying India will always stand firmly with the island nation whenever it faces a crisis.
He framed the relationship on shared cultural and civilisational ties and credited the diaspora with acting as a bridge between the two peoples.
The address set out India's economic transformation — an economy that has roughly doubled from USD 2 trillion in 2014 to about USD 4 trillion, growing 7.8% in Q1 of FY 2026-27.
On defence, he said exports have risen from about Rs 600 crore twelve years ago to an all-time high of about Rs 39,000 crore, with the defence budget rising from about Rs 2 lakh crore in FY 2013-14 to Rs 7.25 lakh crore in FY 2025-26.
Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister Mrs Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Western Province Governor Mr Hanif Yusoof, Deputy Minister Mr Sundaralingam Pradeep and High Commissioner Shri Santosh Jha attended.
A maritime and regional security grouping of National Security Adviser-level officials, working on maritime safety, counter-terrorism, trafficking and organised crime, cybersecurity and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
India's diplomatic mission in Sri Lanka, which coordinated the visit and the diaspora interaction.
The India-Sri Lanka bilateral naval exercise, running since 2005, aimed at interoperability and joint maritime operations between the two navies.
The India-Sri Lanka joint military (army) exercise, held alternately in the two countries under an agreement signed on 12 November 2004, focused on sub-conventional and counter-insurgency operations under a UN Chapter VII mandate.
India's stated priority to its immediate neighbours in aid, connectivity and security cooperation — the frame within which the crisis assistance to Sri Lanka and the Raksha Mantri's assurance are usually asked about.
The uninhabited island in the Palk Strait covered by the India-Sri Lanka maritime boundary agreement of 28 June 1974, signed by Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The agreement demarcated the boundary but left the fishing rights of Indian fishermen unsettled — the recurring irritant in the relationship.
GS Paper 2 > International Relations > India and its Neighbourhood - Relations
General Awareness > Bilateral Exercises and Defence Cooperation
Which of the following statements about 'Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023' are correct? 1. This was a joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh. 2. It commenced in Aundh (Pune). 3. Joint response during counter-terrorism... 4. Indian Air Force was a part of this exercise. Select the answer using the code given below:
Answer: 2, 3 and 4
An NSA-level regional security grouping relaunched in 2020, with its permanent secretariat at Colombo since 2021.
Jan Dhan accounts, Aadhaar and mobile connectivity — the digital plumbing through which Direct Benefit Transfer payments reach beneficiaries.
A regional payments arrangement through which member central banks settle intra-regional trade; India deferred about USD 510 million of Sri Lanka's liabilities under it in 2022.