‘India is an age-old friend of Sri Lanka.’ Discuss India's role in the recent crisis in Sri Lanka in the light of the preceding statement.
Approach · directive: “discuss”
What it asks · Discuss the 2022 crisis and India's response in the light of the long relationship, and assess the strategic and diplomatic dimensions.
The question has 3 parts — answer each
- Set the context: the 2022 crisis and the age-old friendship
- Discuss India's role in the crisis: financial, humanitarian and diplomatic help
- Assess the role: the strategic stakes and the limits of India's approach
Open with · Sri Lanka's 2022 crisis of foreign-exchange shortage, suspended debt payments and shortages of fuel and food tested India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy.
Cover
- Roots of the crisis: heavy foreign borrowing, tax cuts, the pandemic's blow to tourism and remittances, and the 2021 ban on fertiliser imports.
- Ties: the relationship is over 2,500 years old, through Buddhism and Ashoka's son Mahinda, and is now framed by Neighbourhood First and SAGAR.
- Aid in 2022: close to USD 4 billion: a fuel credit line, currency swap, food-and-medicine credit facility and deferred Asian Clearing Union payments.
- Humanitarian help: shipments of medicines, rice, milk powder and fuel, and a line of credit for urea fertiliser.
- Diplomacy: India backed Sri Lanka's engagement with the IMF and other lenders while it sought debt relief.
- Strategic stakes: Indian Ocean security, China's presence at Hambantota and Colombo, refugee flows to Tamil Nadu, Tamil aspirations under the 13th Amendment, and fishermen disputes.
- Assessment: India earned goodwill as first responder, but must respect Sri Lankan sovereignty and public opinion and avoid appearing interventionist.
Close with · Timely help reaffirmed India as Sri Lanka's first responder; lasting ties will rest on economic integration, respect for sovereignty and attention to Tamil and fishermen concerns.
Add value (verified)
- India described its 2022 help as close to USD 4 billion, including a USD 500 fuel line of credit and a USD 400 million currency swap. Brief on India-Sri Lanka Bilateral Relations — Ministry of External Affairs ↗“India has provided multi-faceted assistance to Sri Lanka, close to USD 4 billion, during the economic crisis in 2022. These include USD 500 Line of Credit (LoC) for supply of petroleum products”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2022, GS Paper II — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 223 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS
Sri Lanka's 2022 crisis of foreign-exchange shortage, suspended debt payments and shortages of fuel, food and medicine tested a relationship that runs back over 2,500 years through Buddhism and Ashoka's son Mahinda, and is framed today by Neighbourhood First and SAGAR.
The crisis
- Heavy foreign borrowing, tax cuts, the pandemic's blow to tourism and remittances, and the 2021 ban on fertiliser imports drained the reserves.
India as first responder
- Finance: assistance close to USD 4 billion in 2022, including a USD 500 million line of credit for fuel, a USD 400 million currency swap, a credit facility for food and medicine, and deferred Asian Clearing Union payments.
- Humanitarian: shipments of medicines, rice, milk powder and fuel, and a line of credit for urea fertiliser.
- Diplomacy: India backed Sri Lanka's engagement with the IMF and other creditors while it sought debt relief.
Strategic stakes and limits
- Indian Ocean security, China's presence at Hambantota and Colombo, refugee flows to Tamil Nadu, Tamil aspirations under the 13th Amendment and the fishermen disputes all shape India's role.
- India earned goodwill as the first responder, but must respect Sri Lankan sovereignty and public opinion and avoid appearing to seek concessions in return for aid.
Timely help proved the friendship in practice; lasting ties will rest on economic integration, respect for sovereignty and attention to Tamil and fishermen concerns.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.