India, Oct. 14 -- India and Sri Lanka on Saturday launched a ferry service across the Palk Strait under a new roadmap for greater connectivity, nearly four decades after the link between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in Jaffna was disrupted by the civil war in the island nation.

The ferry service is expected to boost travel and trade with Kankesanthurai, the Sri Lankan port located closest to ports on India's west coast. The service is part of the economic partnership vision, a roadmap for maritime, air and energy connectivity, that was finalised during Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to India in July.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Wickremesinghe recalled the age-old cultural and trade links between ...