India to send relief supplies to Ukraine on Tuesday

 New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) India on Monday decided to send relief supplies to Ukraine to deal with the humanitarian situation along its bordering areas arising out of tens of thousands of people attempting to flee the Russian invasion.

After a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that reviewed the efforts to bring back Indians from Ukraine, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the relief supplies will be sent on Tuesday.

“The prime minister noted that the first consignment of relief supplies to Ukraine to deal with the humanitarian situation on Ukraine’s borders would be despatched tomorrow,” the MEA said in a statement.

It said the prime minister also stated that India will help people from neighbouring as well as developing countries who are stranded in Ukraine and may seek assistance.

India’s announcement on sending the first consignment of relief materials came hours after the Ukrainian ambassador to India, Igor Polikha, sought humanitarian assistance from India.

India also decided to send four senior ministers as the prime minister’s special envoys to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to oversee the evacuation of Indians.

“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,” the MEA said.

It said Modi pointed out that the visit of the four senior ministers as his special envoys to various nations will “energise the evacuation efforts” and that it is reflective of the priority the government attaches to it.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Union minister Hardeep Puri will go to Hungary, Jyotiraditya Scindia will oversee the evacuation process in Romania and Moldova, Kiren Rijiju will travel to Slovakia and General (retd) V K Singh is leaving for Poland.