Modi Govt successfully undertook the Himalayan task of bringing about 20,000 Indians back from Ukraine
Mother India cares for her children, wherever they may be. This becomes evident from the earnestness with which the Narendra Modi government undertook the task of evacuating tens of thousands of Indians in Ukraine. It was indeed a Himalayan task, but it was carried out with utmost efficiency.
Named Operation Ganga, it was aimed at providing all kinds of assistance to Indian students and other citizens stuck in the war zone. The Government shared travel advisory. Around 16,000 were brought back by March 14 since the special flights began on February 22. On March 13 alone, 11 special civilian flights brought 2,135 Indians from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries. In all, 66 civilian flights brought 13,852 people back, whereas the Indian Air Force flew 10 sorties and rescued 2,056 Indians.
By any reckoning, this is a commendable achievement against the backdrop of a massive war in which all manner of arms and armaments are being used. Even civilian targets were reportedly being hit by the Russian military. This made taking out Indians very difficult.
A multipronged approach was adopted, with PM Modi taking the lead. On February 29, he chaired a high-level meeting, second on the same day, to review the ongoing efforts under Operation Ganga. Saying that the entire Government machinery was working round the clock to ensure that all Indian nationals in Ukraine were safe and secure, he pointed out that the visit of four senior ministers as his special envoys to various nations would energise the evacuation efforts.
Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Hardeep Puri went to Hungary, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to oversee the evacuation process in Romania and Moldova, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju to Slovakia and Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh to Poland.
The situation was fluid. For instance, on March 5, most Indians, except for the two places Sumy and Kharkiv, had left Ukraine. There were some in transit somewhere. Sumy, in the northeast on the border with Russia, became the main focus.
“Nowhere of course this has been in the news a lot and we are exploring multiple options for evacuating our citizens, students out of there, but let me reiterate the main challenge remains the ongoing shelling there, the ongoing violence there and the lack of transportation primarily, but even more than transportation I think it’s a problem of having a secure and safe way to get them out while they’re not under threat,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on March 5.
As mentioned earlier, the Government adopted an all-hands-on-deck approach: from the Prime Minister downwards, everyone was involved in the evacuation. From the ministers holding various portfolios sent as envoys to the European countries, every organ was working in concert with each other.
PM Modi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on March 7 for about 35 minutes. They discussed the situation in Ukraine and the evacuation of Indians from the war-torn nation. While expressing his gratitude to Zelensky for the help extended by his Government in the evacuation of Indian nationals, he sought continued support for the same from Sumy.
That, however, was not the first time the two leaders had spoken to each other. On February 24 and February 26 too, Modi had interacted with Zelensky for a safe passage for the exit of the Indian nationals. This must have been difficult for the Indian Prime Minister, for India had abstained from the resolutions condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine both at the United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly. However, he succeeded in getting support from the Ukrainian Government regarding the evacuation.
A multipronged approach was adopted, with PM Modi taking the lead. On February 29, he chaired a high-level meeting, second on the same day, to review the ongoing efforts under Operation Ganga
Later on March 7, PM Modi also talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to hold direct talks with Zelenskiy. “President Putin briefed Prime Minister Modi on the status of negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian teams,” Reuters quoted an Indian Government source as saying. “Prime Minister Modi urged President Putin to hold direct talks with President Zelensky of Ukraine, in addition to the ongoing negotiations between their teams.” Earlier too, on February 25 and on March 2, PM Modi spoke to Putin about an immediate cessation of hostilities. In the second call, Modi discussed with Putin the safe evacuation of the Indians.
The Government assured the Lok Sabha on March 14 that it would not only bring Indian students back to the country from Ukraine but also complete their education. Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan said that Operation Ganga is proof of the “collective wisdom of 130 crore Indians.”
He made the statement in response to a question by Congress member Gaurav Gogoi. “When we have brought them, you remain assured that Government will ponder over making arrangements, whatsoever is required, to enable them to become doctors in future,” the minister said. “At present, it is time for getting them out of the shock. We are all engaged in that,” Pradhan added. It is testimony to the Government’s commitment to its citizens that almost all 20,000 Indians are either back to their country or are on their way. However, there was only one fatality; a student, Naveen Shekharappa, died in Kharkiv.
PM Modi has directed the Cabinet Committee on Security that all possible efforts should be made to bring back his mortal remains. Operation Ganga is being praised not just in India but also in other countries. For instance, Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba thanked his Indian counterpart for evacuating four Nepali nationals from Ukraine. “Four Nepali nationals have just arrived in Nepal from Ukraine via India. Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi and the Government of India for the assistance in repatriating Nepali nationals through the #OperationGanga,” tweeted Deuba.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also lauded PM Modi for bringing back nine Bangladeshis from Ukraine. Persons from other countries, including Pakistan and Tunisia, also benefited from Operation Ganga.
PM Modi and his Government, however, are not resting on their laurels. Even as praise is showered on them for the sterling success of Operation Ganga, they are keeping an eye on the developments. So, on March 13, PM Modi chaired a CCS
meeting to review India’s security preparedness and the prevailing global scenario in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. “The Prime Minister was briefed on latest developments and different aspects of India’s security preparedness in the border areas as well as in the maritime and air domain,” a press release by the Prime Minister’s Office said. “The Prime Minister was also briefed on the latest developments in Ukraine, including the details of Operation Ganga to evacuate Indian nationals, along with some citizens of India’s neighbouring countries, from Ukraine.” The message is loud and clear: the Modi Government will leave no stone unturned to rescue Indians.
