The Sri Lanka-India Media Friendship Association (SLIMFA) held its General Meeting on July 14, 2025 at Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), Colombo.
The Patron of the SLIMFA, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka,. Santosh Jha graced the occasion. High Commissioner of India, highlighted the role of SLIMFA in promoting deeper engagement and collaboration between the media fraternity in Sri Lanka and India. He also congratulated the Association for conducting some impactful media events while supporting the growth and evolution of the media industry in both countries.
Describing the past year as a pivotal period in India–Sri Lanka relations, the High Commissioner highlighted the visits of the President of Sri Lanka to India and that of the Prime Minister of India to Sri Lanka, which yielded several significant and positive outcomes.
He underscored that India is now prioritising an investment-driven partnership with Sri Lanka, marking a strategic shift from the Line of Credit based model.
During the meeting, the official website of SLIMFA (www.slimfa.lk) was jointly launched by the Patron, the High Commissioner of India and the Vice President of SLIMFA, Shehan Baranage.
The SLIMFA was inaugurated on May 2024 at the SVCC in Colombo, during a gathering of Sri Lankan journalists who had visited India on familiarisation trips and other visits supported by the Government of India. Nisthar Cassim is the President of Association and Shehan Baranage is the Vice President. Kalani Kumarasinghe, Vimukthi Dushantha and. Rifthi Ali hold positions as General Secretary, Assistant. Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. Santosh Menon, Dinesh de Alwis, Arosha Fernando, Prasad Dodangodage, Tharaka Wickramasekera and Samangie Wettimuny function as members of the Executive Board.
Following the inauguration of SLIMFA last year, several events were organised by SLIMFA including the ever first Media Fest in Sri Lanka, Media Interactions with visiting Indian Journalists, an Editors’ Roundtable, and a discussion on ‘Media Matters: Sharing Experiences on Election Coverage’.
