India to help people from neighbouring countries stuck in Ukraine

New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while chairing the third high-level meeting on the Ukraine situation on Monday evening, pointed out that the visit of four senior ministers as the government's special envoys to various nations will energise the evacuation efforts.

The move is reflective of the priority the government attaches to this matter, Modi said.

Also, guided by India's motto of the world being one family, the Prime Minister said that India will help people from neighbouring countries and developing nations who are stranded in Ukraine, seeking assistance.

Chairing the high-level meeting, his second of the day, to review the ongoing efforts under 'Operation Ganga' to bring back Indians stranded in Ukraine, Modi said that the entire government machinery has been working round-the-clock to ensure that all Indian nationals are safe and secure in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister further noted that the first consignment of relief supplies to Ukraine to deal with the humanitarian crisis there would be despatched on Tuesday.

This was the third review meeting in the last 24 hours on the situation in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister was briefed that around 1,400 Indian nationals have arrived from Ukraine so far by six flights from Budapest (Hungary) and Bucharest (Romania), while 182 more will reach Mumbai early on Tuesday morning.

Modi was also briefed that a new route to exit through Moldova has been identified and to facilitate the entry of the Indians into this country, proper arrangements are being made by the Indian Embassy staff in Romania.

Modi directed the MEA officials to make proper arrangements for the students who are moving to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania till they depart for India.

Union Ministers S. Jaishankar, Hardeep Singh Puri, General (Retd) V.K. Singh, Kiren Rijiju, Piyush Goyal, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister P.K. Mishra, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and other officials were present in the meeting.

On Monday morning, Modi chaired a high-level meeting where he was updated about the progress of the evacuation mission under 'Operation Ganga', wherein it was decided that four Union ministers will go as special envoys to the neighbouring countries of Ukraine to oversee the evacuation process.

According to the officials, Jyotiraditya Scindia will be going to Romania and Moldova, Kiren Rijiju to Slovakia, Hardeep Singh Puri to Hungary and V.K. Singh will be going to Poland.