Amb. Rajendra Abhyankar, former Indian Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg and member, PIC was the guest speaker for this month’s PIC Adda. Amb. Sudhir Devare, former Director General, Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and member, PIC was the Chairperson.
Amb. Abhyankar who had served in Sri Lanka as Deputy High Commissioner in his diplomatic career of nearly four decades spoke of the Sri Lankan crisis in terms of 3 broad elements. First, the continuing and undaunted protests of the Sri Lankan people; the tepid response of the international community and the roots of the economic crisis.
He noted that the downward spiral in Sri Lanka began two decades ago. The current crisis was compounded by heavy subsidies, populist value-added tax cuts, a government that failed to invest in welfare measures and the sudden adoption of organic farming across the country. Amb. Abhyankar described the crisis as “an Arab spring moment for the Sri Lankan people”.
The talk and the discussion with Amb. Devare was enriched by the Q&A session with the audience.