Modi, Rajapaksa agree to speed up developments

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday agreed to accelerate Indian-assisted development projects in Sri Lanka and discussed the possibility of promoting investments by India’s private sector. The move assumes significance against the backdrop of China’s concerted push to develop infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka and other countries under its Belt and Road Initiative, which has led to criticism from the US about these countries being exposed to predatory loans.