By Admin 
India has given a big relief to Sri Lanka amid the energy crisis caused by Iran’s war against America and Israel and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. India supplied a total of 38,000 metric tons of petroleum products to Sri Lanka as emergency assistance, which includes 20,000 metric tons of diesel and 18,000 metric tons of petrol.
Sri Lanka openly expressed gratitude to India after this help. According to the Indian High Commission in Colombo, this supply was made at a time when the global supply chain had been disrupted due to the Iran war and Sri Lanka was facing a serious fuel crisis. Prominent Sri Lankan opposition leader Sajith Premadasa also thanked India and said that real relationships are recognized in times of crisis, and India has proved this by supporting us in this difficult time.
China did not help
In January, Sri Lanka signed a $3.7 billion deal with China’s state energy company Sinopec to build a 200,000 barrel capacity oil refinery near Hambantota port. But China has not yet provided any help during the crisis caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This statement of Premadasa is being seen as an indirect criticism of China.
Force majeure and disruption in international supplies
Due to the war in West Asia, many international suppliers refused to supply fuel citing ‘force majeure’. Sri Lanka got into serious trouble due to shortage of ships and obstruction in sea routes. In such a situation, India immediately provided emergency supplies through Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Earlier on March 24, there was a phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anur Kumar Dissanayake, in which the situation in West Asia, disruption in supply chains and energy cooperation were discussed. At the same time, on March 23, Foreign Minister S. There was also a conversation between Jaishankar and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.
Impact of fuel crisis in Sri Lanka
Due to the fuel crisis in Sri Lanka, the prices of petrol and diesel were recently increased by 25%. The price of petrol was increased to Rs 398 per liter and diesel to Rs 382 per liter. The situation became so serious that the government implemented a four-day working week and also promoted work from home.
Importance of Strait of Hormuz
About 20% of the world’s oil is supplied through the Strait of Hormuz. The situation worsened due to its closure. Sri Lanka is completely dependent on imported oil, hence this help from India proved to be a lifeline for it.