Sirisena invites Naidu for second anniversary of National Unity govt.

December 27, 2016 12:25 am | Updated 12:25 am IST - COLOMBO:

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has invited Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu as guest of honour at the second anniversary celebrations of Sri Lanka’s National Unity government.

In a recent letter to Mr. Naidu from President Sirisena’s secretary, it was conveyed that Sri Lanka would launch a poverty alleviation programme in 2017, prioritising ‘science, technology and innovation’ in leapfrogging development.

Commending Mr. Naidu for his own efforts “in fighting poverty and bringing innovation close to the lives of people,” the President has invited Mr. Naidu to speak on the theme “prosperity to all.”

Mr. Sirisena unseated former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka’s January 2015 presidential elections, following an unexpected defection by Mr. Sirisena to a coalition of Opposition parties, including Tamil and Muslim parties.

Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi participated in the first anniversary of the unity government, with President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at its helm.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.