India delivered 40,000 MT of diesel to Sri Lanka on Saturday in a bid to help ease the power crisis in the country which is seeing power cuts.

This is the fourth consignment of fuel delivered by India to Sri Lanka as a part of the US 500 million oil line of credit (LoC). The island nation has so far received 200,000 MT of fuel from India over the last 50 days, reported ANI.

Indian High Commission in Colombo took to Twitter to write, “More fuel supplies delivered by #India to #SriLanka! A consignment of 40,000 MT of diesel under #Indian assistance through Line of Credit of $500 mn was handed over by High Commissioner to Hon'ble Energy Minister Gamini Lokuge in #Colombo today.”

“This is the fourth consignment under the LoC. Fuel delivered from #IndianWells to people of #SriLanka in last 50 days is about 200,000T,” it further wrote.

Notably, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a nationwide public emergency earlier following protests over shortages of fuel and other essential commodities outside his residence. Protestors clashed with police in which 10 people including journalists were injured.

Sri Lanka, the island nation which is India’s neighbour in the Indian Ocean is largely dependent on tourism. Since the Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown, the country has been hit hard economically with its tourism sector’s downfall.