Colombo, Apr 3: Marking a significant milestone in historic relations, Sri Lanka will refer to India as the 'Republic of Bharat' on commemorative plaques that will be unveiled during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the weekend, Lankan media reported on Thursday.

"The commemorative plaques will be unveiled for three India-assisted projects, which include the groundbreaking of the Sampur solar energy project, the opening of a cool storage complex in Dambulla in Sri Lanka, and the commissioning of 5000 rooftop solar panels at 5000 places of religious worship. While commemorative plaques will have the name 'Bharat', the Sri Lankan authorities will, however, use the name 'India' in official communications," reported Daily Mirror.

Citing the G20 Summit, it mentioned that the Indian government has increased the use of the name 'Bharat' in its official communications as the country was mentioned as 'Bharat', which has its roots in ancient Indian texts, during the official invitations sent to guests during the G20 summit in India in 2023.

"This gesture was reflected when Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited India in December last year. The Indian authorities referred to President Droupadi Murmu as the President of Bharat," the report added.

Prime Minister Modi, currently in Thailand for the BIMSTEC Summit, will travel to Sri Lanka on a State Visit (April 4–6) at the invitation of the President of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will hold discussions with the Lankan President to review progress made on the areas of cooperation agreed upon in the Joint Vision for 'Fostering Partnerships for a Shared Future' adopted during Dissanayake's India visit, last December.

PM Modi will also have meetings with senior dignitaries and political leaders. As part of the visit, both leaders will travel to Anuradhapura for inauguration of development projects implemented with Indian financial assistance.

Prime Minister Modi last visited Sri Lanka in 2019. Earlier, the President of Sri Lanka paid a State Visit to India as his first visit abroad after assuming office.

Dissanayake had visited New Delhi in December 2024 on his first overseas visit after taking office as President and now Prime Minister Modi will be the first foreign leader to be hosted by the Lankan President in his present capacity.

"India and Sri Lanka share civilizational bonds with strong cultural and historic links. This visit is part of regular high level engagements between the countries and will lend further momentum in deepening the multi-faceted partnership between India and Sri Lanka," the Ministry of External Affairs stated.

--IANS

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