Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with various stakeholders, including community organisations and embassy officials from Hungry among other countries neighbouring Ukraine, involved in Operation Ganga and asserted that India has always acted with alacrity to assist its citizens during any international crisis.
During the interaction, held virtually, Modi said guided by India's age-old philosophy of 'Vasidhaiva Kutumbakam', the country has also extended humanitarian support to nationals of other countries during emergencies while attaching high priority to the safety of Indians abroad, according to an official statement.
Modi expressed his warm appreciation for Indian community leaders, volunteer groups, companies, private individuals and government officials who worked tirelessly for the success of the operation to evacuate Indians from war-hit Ukraine.
He praised the patriotic fervor, sense of community service, and team spirit displayed by all stakeholders involved in Operation Ganga.
He especially praised the various community organisations, pointing out that their selfless service exemplifies the Indian civilizational values that they continue to embody even on foreign shores, the PMO said.
Speaking about the efforts made by his government to ensure the safety of Indian nationals, the Prime Minister recalled his personal interactions with leaders of Ukraine and its neighbouring countries, and expressed gratitude for the support received from all the foreign governments.
According to the PMO, Operation Ganga successfully evacuated about 23000 Indian citizens, as well as 147 foreign nationals belonging to 18 countries, from Ukraine.
During the interaction, representatives of the Indian community and private sector in Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary narrated their experiences of being part of Operation Ganga, the challenges they faced, and expressed their sense of satisfaction and honour at having contributed to such a complex humanitarian operation, the statement added.
Among others, the interaction was attended by Union ministers --Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiren Rijiju, Hardeep Singh Puri and VK Singh. Modi had sent Scindia to Romania, Rijiju to the Slovak Republic, Puri to Hungary and Singh to Poland as special envoys to coordinate the evacuation process under Operation Ganga.
Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a statement in Parliament, saying that despite the challenges posed by the serious ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the government ensured that about 22,500 citizens returned home safely.
The entire exercise involved a 'whole of government' approach with the prime minister himself chairing review meetings, almost on a daily basis, Jaishankar said.
