Twenty Tamil Nadu fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy earlier this year for allegedly poaching in the island's waters, were repatriated to India on Wednesday. 

The men, who had been arrested in January - February 2017, were handed over to the Indian coast guard at the International Maritime Boundary Line, PTI reported. 

Last week India's government informed the Rajya Sabha that 144 fishermen were detained by Sri Lankan authorities, alongside 144 fishing boats. 

Sri Lankan fish exports to the European Union have increased by over 45% since the EU lifting the 2015 ban, Colombo Page reports. 

Over 18,262 metric tons of fish were exported to the EU from January to September this year, totally to Rs. 28.685 billion. 

Sri Lanka lost around Rs 18 billion during the ban, which was lifted on June 22, 2016. 

The ban was imposed in January 2015 by the EU for Sri Lanka's failure to comply with international and regional fisheries rules. 

The Indian government along with the Tamil Nadu government has signed an agreement with the World Bank for a $318 million loan for the improvement of irrigation in Tamil Nadu. 

The loan also includes improvement market opportunities for Tamil Nadu. 

"About 500,000 farmers, of which a majority are small and marginal, are expected to benefit from improved and modernised tank irrigation systems," India's finance ministry statement said, the Economic Times reported. 

The Indian government is planning to allow a ferry service from North-East to Tamil Nadu, India, in order to facilitate travel of Tamil Hindu pilgrims wishing to travel to Chidambaram for a Hindu (Saivite) festival. 

The service would run from Kankesanthurai in the North-East to Chennai. 

In a statement India's ministry of external affairs said "a large number of Sri Lankan Tamil pilgrims" were expected to attend, The Hindu reported. 

Tamil National Alliance MP M A Sumanthiran met with T T V Dhinakaran on the eve of his election victory in Tamil Nadu this week, where they discussed a political solution to the Tamil question.

Mr Sumanthiran was visiting India for the ‘Arumanai Christmas Vizha’, reports The Hindu, where he met with Mr Dhinakaran. Originally, TNA leader R Sampanthan was invited but could not attend due to illness.

Despite repeated calls for demilitarisation, the Sri Lankan military held a medical clinic for Tamil civilians in Jaffna on Sunday, a service that the army called a ‘Christmas gift’.

Tamils in the North-East held memorials for the 35,000 people that perished during the catastrophic tsunami that hit the coasts of the North-East and South of the island of Sri Lanka, thirteen years ago.

The assassinated Tamil MP Joseph Pararajasingham was remembered across the Tamil homeland on Christmas Day, on the 12th anniversary of his killing.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena oversaw a meeting of the National Buddhist Think Tank this week, where he pledged his government’s support for a host of new initiatives.

Defying calls for demilitarisation of the North-East, the Sri Lankan military held public Christmas celebrations in Batticaloa this week.