India has proven time and again its capability in carrying out rescue operations overseas
For India, the Russia-Ukraine war has unfolded a crisis in the form of thousands of stranded citizens, particularly students, who are stuck in the conflict zone. Once again, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading from the front to ensure quick evacuation of Indians from the war zone. Immediately after the war broke out, PM Modi wasted no time in putting the Ministry of External Affairs and other ministries in top gear to carry out a multi-pronged evacuation exercise, called Operation Ganga.
Within hours, response teams of the MEA and other ministries were in place with top officials coordinating Operation Ganga in New Delhi; and in Kyiv, Lviv, Chernivtsi in Ukraine. To speed up the evacuation process, the MEA also deployed its teams in Warsaw, Shehyni-Medyka and Krakowiec border crossings in Poland, the Zahony/Kipp Tysa border crossing in Hungary, Vysne Nemecke border crossing in the Slovak Republic and Suceava border crossing in Romania.
Thanks to the quick response from PM Modi and his diplomatic skills, within 48 hours, around 1,400 Indians, mostly students, have been flown back from the war zone in six special flights, where the entire cost of the evacuation is being borne by the government. The PM is personally monitoring the entire evacuation exercise, while Cabinet ministers like Piyush Goyal and Jyotiraditya Scindia received students and citizens at the airport.
As thousands more await evacuation from the countries neighbouring Ukraine, the Indian government has stepped up its efforts with more flights to join “Operation Ganga” in the next few days. The latest efforts also involve four senior ministers — Hardeep Puri, Jyotiradiyta Scindia, Kiren Rijiju and V K Singh — travelling to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to coordinate the evacuation mission and help stranded students and citizens.
As tensions between Russia and Ukraine increased during the past months, the government started collecting information on Indians living in Ukraine in January itself. The Indian embassy in Kyiv established contacts with 19,763 Indians who were living in Ukraine, while the special focus was laid on establishing communication with student contractors.
On February 20, the Indian embassy issued a strong advisory with the anticipation that the situation might worsen soon. The Indian government was quick to respond to the evolving situation in Ukraine. The air bubble limit was increased and under this, special flights were started. Under the air bubble, three flights landed between February 20 and 23, a day before the conflict started. By then, 4,000 Indians were back home.
Now the focus is on the safe return of all the remaining Indians. PM Modi has already made it very clear in the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting that his government’s top priority is the safe return of every Indian at any cost. To ensure the safe and speedy return of Indians, particularly students, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to the foreign ministers of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania, who agreed to help in the evacuation. Within the next few days, the remaining Indians are expected to return home safe.
The swift response and meticulous planning by the PM in times of crisis have once again proven that the adage “cometh the hour, cometh the man” holds very true for Modi. Under his leadership, India has accomplished some of the most difficult evacuation exercises in Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria, besides the Vande Bharat Mission, which was launched at a global scale to bring back Indians who were stranded abroad as the Covid pandemic shook the entire world.
In August last year, when foreign troops withdrew from Afghanistan, a humanitarian crisis of massive proportions unfolded in the country. As countries struggled for the safe return of their nationals, the Modi government launched “Operation Devi Shakti”, which was jointly carried out by our armed forces and the MEA. Around 700 people, including 450 Indians and 250 Afghans and some other nationals were evacuated. The world also saw how India brought back with full honour and respect the “Swaroops” of the Guru Granth Sahib (considered the “living guru”) and some ancient Hindu manuscripts.
Similarly, in early 2020, India kickstarted one of the world’s largest air-lift exercises under the Vande Bharat Mission covering 100 nations. A total of over 88,000 flights brought back around 70 lakh Indians stranded abroad due to the global lockdown, following the coronavirus outbreak. Then there are other extraordinary rescue missions carried out successfully. Who can forget the Operation Sankat Mochan in 2014 when 46 Indian nurses were rescued from the clutches of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in war-ravaged Iraq or Operation Raahat of April 2015 when the Indian Navy and Air Force rescued over 4,600 Indians and over 950 nationals of 41 countries from Yemen during the military intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies. Then, in March 2016, following the serial bombings in Brussels airport and metro in Belgium, 250 Indians were evacuated.
Rescue missions under crises and critical situations require exemplary diplomatic skills, impeccable planning, and effective implementation. India has proven time and again its capability in carrying out rescue operations overseas. When it comes to saving and securing the lives of Indians, PM Modi has always shown remarkable compassion and empathy and has always felt the pain and suffering of the people. This is why we see such urgency from him when it comes to dealing with crises and emergency situations.