Embassy continues to function 24X7 with help line for Indians in Ukraine
Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Mar, 2022 12:30 PM
New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) The Indian Embassy in Ukraine, which has been temporarily relocated from Kiev to Warsaw due to the fighting, on Friday said that it has been functioning round the clock for Indian nationals in Ukraine who are trying to seek assistance and they can contact it through email and help line numbers.
In an advisory, it also circulated the email: cons1.kyiv@mea.gov.in and the official numbers- +3809333559958,+919205290802,+917428022564.
Soon after the war broke out between Ukraine and Russia on February 24, the majority of the Indian diplomats had moved from the Ukrainian capital to Lviv which is close to the Ukraine-Poland border. But the Indian Embassy in Kiev was kept functional, with a few officials stationed there to coordinate with the Ukrainian authorities on the evacuation of Indians from the country.
The External Affairs Ministry recently decided to temporarily shift the embassy in Warsaw after the Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian city increased as by that time, the evacuation of the Indian nationals was almost done.
In a statement on March 13, the MEA said: "In view of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Ukraine, including attacks in the western parts of the country, it has been decided that the Indian Embassy in Ukraine will be temporarily relocated in Poland."
The situation will be reassessed in the light of further developments, it added.
According to Indian officials, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese forces in a disputed Himalayan border area. The incident follows rising tensions, and is the first deadly clash in the border area in at least over 4 decades. The Indian army initially said three of its soldiers had been killed, adding that both sides suffered casualties.
India and Australia penned a landmark agreement for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support besides firming up six more pacts to further broaden ties after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart PM Scott Morrison held an online summit.
Siddharta Vashishtha, also known as Manu Sharma, the convict in the Jessica Lal murder case was released from Tihar Jail on Tuesday. Sandeep Goel, Director-General of Tihar Jail, said: “He was released on the recommendations of the Sentence Reviewing Board meeting. The entire process has been carried out.”
A swarm of locusts on Wednesday and Thursday devastated crops in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadhra district, which shares borders with Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. The pest has damaged crops in six states, leading to the Centre issuing a locust warning to 16 states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 1,500 crore for the relief and rehabilitation of people affected by Cyclone Amphan in West Bengal and Odisha, and assured the states of more support after conducting separate aerial surveys with chief ministers Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik on Friday.
