New Delhi: India will hold an international
conference in Sri Lanka in March to observe the 2600th year
of the enlightenment of Lord Buddha and also commission an art
gallery and a 16-feet high Buddha statue there.
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Saturday informed Sri
Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa about India`s plans to
organise an exposition of the sacred Kapilavastu relics and
undertaking other activities in that country this year.
The seminar will be held in Kandy next month, a Lok Sabha
Secretariat release said. India is also commissioning a
gallery, including a 16-feet high statue of Lord Buddha, for
the International Buddhist Museum in Kandy.
Kumar is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka as a guest of
honour in the third Asian Regional Conference of the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
While interacting with Rajapaksa, the Speaker also said
that she is looking forward to a visit by the Sri Lankan
parliamentarians to India.
Rajapaksa welcomed the Indian developmental activities in
Sri Lanka and agreed that the two sides should promote
parliamentary exchanges.
On Saturday, Kumar also called on Sri Lankan Prime Minister
D M Jayaratne and discussed matters of bilateral interest with
G L Peiris, the Lankan External Affairs Minister.
PTI
