Whether there is foreign assistance, or not, Sri Lanka has done better than India in basically all respects. The average Sri Lankan is richer, lives longer, has a better education and has better health than the average Indian.
South Asia consists of more than India and in South Asia, Sri Lanka has several neighbours. The closest neighbour geographically is India however. And Sri Lanka is friends with all her neigbours - unlike India. India has enemies everywhere, or sees enemies everywhere. Perenially in conflict with Pakistan, making a bogie out of China, the list just goes on.
Sri Lanka has survived as an independent state for thousands of years. India hasn't been able to do anything about it. The latest challange (the LTTE), which was sponsored, armed and trained by India has been defeated.
A murder of an individual woman is hardly representative of the overall status of women in a country. Murders happen everywhere in the world. Fact is, women are treated better in Sri Lanka and have a higher position in society than in India. Sri Lankans do not kill their baby girls for being girls, female infanticide is unheard of. Women are not married off to frogs, banana trees, clay pots, donkeys etc. They are not kicked and beaten for giving birth to a girl child.
And you have a survey to back up your claims I suppose?
Who are we to believe when comparing India and Sri Lanka --- an Indian? Or the views of independent third party travellers?
Let's see what another Indian as to say:
India is a modern creation of the British. Modern India has not given any culture or religion to the world. Various independent kingdoms that existed in the past on the subcontinent (ares which now fall in "India") certainly did however. Certainly there are similarities between Indians and Sri Lankans, I will not deny it. The two are probably the closest cousins.