India to help people from neighbouring countries stranded in Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the entire government machinery is working round the clock to ensure that all Indians in Ukraine are safe and secure and that India will also help people from neighbouring and developing countries who are stranded in the eastern European nation.

The prime minister made the remarks at a high-level meeting, his second of the day, that was held to review the ongoing efforts under "Operation Ganga" to bring back the Indians stranded in Ukraine, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The government has also decided to send Union ministers Hardeep Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiren Rijiju and General (retd) V K Singh to Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova to oversee the evacuation of Indians.

The MEA said Modi noted that the first consignment of relief supplies to Ukraine to deal with the humanitarian situation on the country's borders would be dispatched on Tuesday.

"The prime minister pointed that the visit of four senior ministers as his Special Envoys to various nations will energise the evacuation efforts. It is reflective of the priority the government attaches to this matter," the MEA said in a statement.

"Guided by India's motto of the world being one family, the prime minister also stated that India will help people from neighbouring countries and developing countries who are stranded in Ukraine and may seek assistance," it added.

It further said: "The prime minister said that the entire government machinery is working round the clock to ensure that all Indian nationals there are safe and secure.