From correspondents in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 11:01 PM IST

India Thursday handed over its second consignment of 900 tonnes of humanitarian relief assistance to the International Red Cross to be distributed among thousands of war-displaced civilians in Sri Lanka.

India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Alok Prasad handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation a consignment of 40,000 family packs of humanitarian relief material intended for the internally displaced persons (IDP) affected by the ongoing conflict in the island's north.

The consignment consists assorted food items, including rice, pulses and sugar, personal hygiene products, clothing and cooking utensils.

'The food items will cover the needs of 40,000 families for approximately two weeks,' a statement from the Indian mission here said.

'This assistance is a reflection of India's continuing concern for the welfare of the conflict-affected IDPs, many of whom have managed to come out of the conflict-affected zone only within the last 10 days,' it said.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)