BEL’s sea rescue centre in Sri Lanka to give India another strategic edge against China in Indian Ocean

India to support digital identity project in Sri Lanka

With decks being cleared for Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) based in Bengaluru to build a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Sri Lanka, India is set to get another strategic edge against China in the Indian Ocean region after installing a coastal radar system in Maldives.

In yet another sign of New Delhi clawing back the space it once lost to Beijing in the island nation, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed for creating a framework for India to support implementation of the Unique Digital Identity programme in Sri Lanka.

The BEL will build the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at the headquarters of the Sri Lankan Navy in Colombo, with a sub-centre in Hambantota, where a deep water port built by and leased to China has been a security concern for India. The MRCC and its sub-centre will be linked to the units in strategically important coastal towns like Galle, Arugam Bay, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Kallarawa, Point Pedro and Mullikulam.

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An MoU for the BEL to set up the MRCC in Colombo and the sub-centre in Hambantota as well as the network of units in other locations has been signed on after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart G L Peiris in the island nation’s capital on Monday.

Though the High Commission of India in Colombo, late on Monday, confirmed signing of the MoU, the details of the agreement have been made public.

Jaishankar flew to Colombo on Monday, a day after formally handing over to the Chief of Defence Forces of Maldives a coastal radar system, comprising 10 radar stations that India built in the archipelago to help keep watch in the Indian Ocean.

The MRCC in Colombo and its units will coordinate the operations of the Sri Lankan Navy and the Coast Guard in the vast Search and Rescue Region of the island nation, which is strategically located astride busy and important sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean. The BEL’s role in setting up the MRCC and the associated network, however, will give India a strategic edge amid China’s growing belligerence and increasing forays by the People’s Liberation Army Navy in the region. The agreement was signed, even as the Indian Navy sent an Advanced Light Helicopter onboard INS Sharda to the island nation for a week to train the pilots of the Sri Lankan Air Force and the personnel of the Sri Lankan Navy – an engagement aimed at fostering closer interoperability and seamless conduct of coordinated maritime operations.

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India is likely to provide the Sri Lankan Navy and the Coast Guard three of its Dornier aircraft for maritime surveillance, in addition to a floating dock, which will be built by Goa Shipyard Limited and will be primarily stationed at Trincomalee Harbour of the island nation. Sri Lanka, however, can move it to other ports with prior notification to India, except of course to the Hambantota International Port, which was leased out to China.

Five sailing vessels of the Indian Navy visited Sri Lanka from March 10 to 19 – just days after the warships of the two nations had the ninth edition of the joint naval exercise – SLINEX- in the Bay of Bengal. The senior army officers of Sri Lanka visited Pune in Maharashtra for talks with counterparts in the Indian Army last month.

New Delhi of late extended two different credit lines worth $ 1.5 billion to help Sri Lanka through its worst economic crisis in decades. India, earlier, not only extended a $ 400 million currency swap to Sri Lanka under the SAARC Framework, but also deferred the neighbouring nation's Asian Clearing Union (ACU) settlement of $ 515.2 million till May 6.

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