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Due to the ongoing tension and war in the Middle East, the global energy supply has severely deteriorated. This crisis has brought Sri Lanka to the brink of deep darkness and trouble. But, whenever trouble befalls this island country, India is the first to come forward to help like a true and trustworthy partner. In this series, giving immediate relief to Sri Lanka which is facing severe fuel shortage, India has delivered a large consignment of 38,000 metric tons of petroleum to Colombo.

'Sanjeevani' became India's help in this time of crisis

Ever since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in the second week of March, the round of retaliatory actions has almost halted oil supplies from the Gulf region. Due to the attacks on oil tankers and refineries, many suppliers had given up on supplying fuel to Sri Lanka citing unavoidable circumstances. As the situation worsened, a phone conversation took place on 24 March 2026 between Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After this meeting, without wasting any time, India dispatched a consignment of 20,000 metric tons of diesel and 18,000 metric tons of petrol through 'Lanka IOC' (a subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation), which reached the shores of Sri Lanka on March 28. The President of Sri Lanka thanked Prime Minister Modi and Indian Foreign Minister S. for this immediate assistance. Expressed gratitude to Jaishankar.

Lights out, silence spread on the streets

This energy crisis has become a big problem for the common man of Sri Lanka, its direct impact is visible on the daily routine there. Taking strict steps to save electricity and fuel, the government has implemented a four-day working week in the government sector of the country. After this decision, there is silence at railway and bus stations. Banks are opening for shorter hours, and many private companies like technology firm WSO2 have made work from home mandatory for their employees two days a week.

The government has set a strict target to reduce electricity consumption by 25 percent. Under this, street lights have been switched off and civil servants have been appealed to use normal table fans instead of air-conditioned (AC) rooms. To avoid putting additional pressure on the power grid, electric vehicle (EV) owners have been prohibited from charging their cars at night and have been asked to take advantage of solar energy during the day. At present, Sri Lanka has only diesel left till mid-May and a few additional days of petrol.

Praise for India's tax model

In this entire situation, Sri Lankan politicians are also advocating learning from India's policies. MP Namal Rajapaksa praised India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy. He has advised his government to adopt a fuel tax model like India, so that the excessive tax burden on citizens can be reduced in difficult times and the market can be kept stable.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka is now also looking towards Russia to deal with this crisis permanently. In view of this huge reduction in global supply, America has also relaxed the restrictions imposed on Russian oil ships present in the sea. Taking advantage of this, high level talks have started between the Sri Lankan government and the visiting Russian Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin regarding oil purchase and long-term energy security.