Indian delegates leave happy

By Cheranka Mendis

The 12 Indian delegates who took part in the trip to Jaffna as a part of the AmCham TIFA Talks on Tuesday have expressed interest in the many investment opportunities in the peninsula.

Executive Director AmCham Sri Lanka Chullanté Jayasuriya speaking to Daily FT yesterday stated that the trip had been a success, with many of the delegates finding particular subjects in which to invest. The delegation, which flew back yesterday, had only complained that they did not have much time to check details in depth in the interested fields.

The Indian delegation is also reported to have met Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne, Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen, Health Secretary Dr. Ravindra Ruberu and several senior Health Ministry officials as well as officials from the Telecom Regulatory Commission.

Jayasuriya stated that the parties discussed the overall investment plan of the Government for the future, what could be expected in the Budget and so on. He stated that the delegation had been particularly happy about the meeting with the Prime Minister, where he is said to have hinted at policy relooks, tax reforms and positive investment policies in the upcoming budget.

AmCham Sri Lanka is awaiting the full report by the Indian delegation and therefore could not provide in depth information in this regard.

Meanwhile, official talks between the Governments of USA and Sri Lanka took place yesterday, discussing many plus and minuses in economy and trade.