Ship to bring back 20 tons of Sri Lanka coins stuck in India

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cnsjju5TvQ Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Ajith Nivard Cabraal urges Sri Lankan pilgrims to Dambadiva, India not to put Sri Lankan coins into tills at places of worship.

Around 20 tons of coins put into tills at places of pilgrimage at Dambadiva are lying without being used at such pilgrimage sites and moves are ahead to bring it back to the island while incurring additional expenses, Governor Cabraal told adaderanabiz.lk

Generally around 200,000 Sri Lankans make annual pilgrimages to Dambadiva and they offer Sri Lankan currency at Dambadiva sites like they do in Sri Lanka.

Duringa pilgrimage to Dambadiva a group of Central Bank officials had seen these monies stored in gunny bags left aside without being made use of.

These monies had been thus discarded since it takes a lot of time to exchange into Indian currency said Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal while adding that it is cheaper to bring these coins back to Sri Lanka rather than mint new coins.

However, Sri Lanka has to provide the equivalent amount of these coins to the Indian pilgrimage sites and hence several Buddhist monks the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in India have intervened to assist in this issue.

A ship or aircraft has to be utilized to bring back these millions of rupees worth of coins to Sri Lanka, added the Governor.

Hence, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka requests pilgrims not to offer local currency at foreign pilgrimage sites.

-adaderana