NEW DELHI, May 19 (Xinhua) -- India said Tuesday it would send special envoys to Sri Lanka while providing 5 billion rupees (100 million U.S. dollars) worth of aid to help in the rehabilitation of Tamil civilians displaced in the war, reported the private Indo-Asian News Service.

    Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters that "the rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons" was urgently needed, said the news service.

    He also said India was also looking at the Sri Lankan government to ensure a "political solution to fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the ethnic minorities including the Tamils", according to the report.

    "A package of 5 billion rupees which will be required for rehabilitation is under preparation. When our special envoys will be visiting Sri Lanka shortly, they will discuss it in detail," the report quoted Mukherjee as saying.

    He said the Indian government has already sent 1 billion rupees(20 million U.S. dollars) while the state government of Tamil Nadu government has also announced relief aid of 250 million rupees (5 million U.S. dollars).

    Mukherjee added that India has always been in favor of a "political solution" to the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka.

    "Political solution includes devolution of power, participation in election and have the full rights of citizen of Sri Lanka. Of course, while maintaining the territorial integrity and within the framework of the Sri Lankan constitution," he was quoted as saying.

    Mukherjee had spoken to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Monday, after the official announcement of the killing of Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran.

    In a statement issued earlier, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said: "India will work with the people and government of Sri Lanka to provide relief to those affected by the tragic conflict, and to rapidly rehabilitate all those who have been displaced, bringing their lives to normalcy as soon as possible."

    The spokesman said, "It is our view that as the conventional conflict in Sri Lanka comes to an end, this is the moment when the root causes of conflict in Sri Lanka can be addressed."