Page 32 - NIS English 16-31 July,2025

C O VER S T OR Y |
NATION | Title TileMission to save loved ones

Operation Ganga The central government asked the
aviation authorities and airlines to

Prime Minister Modi, four Union increase the number of flights between
India and Ukraine, and the aviation
Ministers and ‘Super 30’ wrote the 16 February 2022 ministry removed all restrictions on

success story of ‘Operation Ganga’. these flights. The requirement of the
RTPCR test was abolished.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is the
leader in the success story of Operation Ganga,
launched to bring back Indians stranded in Union Ministers Jyotiraditya
1 March 2022 reached Poland, Romania,
Ukraine amid the war with Russia. Scindia, VK Singh, Hardeep Singh
Puri and Kiren Rijiju themselves

The Indian Embassy in Kiev issued Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova
to monitor ‘Operation Ganga’.
15 February 2022 Ukraine. After this, 3 more advisories Prime Minister Narendra Modi
an advisory asking Indians to leave
himself reviewed the situation in a
were issued asking Indians whose
high-level meeting. Prime Minister
stay in Ukraine is not very important
Modi personally spoke to Russian
to leave Ukraine immediately on a
temporary basis by informing the
and Ukrainian President Zelensky
embassy. 4, 6 March 2022 President Vladimir Putin three times
twice and sought cooperation in
getting Indians out of Ukraine.

can get all possible assistance. n After talks with the prime minister, both
the countries agreed to build a humanitarian
INDIA'S 'OPERATION GANGA' BECAME corridor, while Russia even announced a
AN EXAMPLE AMID THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE ceasefire in Kharkiv and Sumi for the Indian
WAR students to leave. Prime Minister Narendra
The 'Operation Ganga' mission was started with the Modi spoke to the heads of state of Ukraine's
neighbouring countries 12 times over the phone.
vision of bringing everyone back safely. The Prime
Minister himself had emphasized the safety and n After talking to Prime Minister Modi, Moscow-
evacuation of Indian students in a high-level meeting. Kiev officials gave instructions to build a
He had said, "The safety and evacuation of students humanitarian corridor.
stranded in Ukraine is a priority. Cooperation will
be enhanced with the neighboring countries of
Ukraine to expedite the evacuation of students." He its transit center to bring back its citizens. To ensure
had made it clear on the very first day that bringing that no Indian faces any difficulty and there is no
Indians home in difficult times is his top priority. hindrance in the campaign to bring everyone back
Therefore, on the very first day of the war, Prime home, Prime Minister Modi sent his four then Union
Minister Modi paved the way for the safe return of Ministers - Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia,
Indians by talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin Kiren Rijiju, and General V.K. Singh to these countries
and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the to ensure the safe return of Indians.
phone.
The biggest difficulty of this mission was that the ALERT EVEN DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS
airspace of Ukraine was closed. In such a situation, Be it 'Operation Sindhu' or 'Operation Ganga', being
India made Ukraine's neighboring countries - proactive and as a responsible nation, India complet-
Romania, Hungary, Poland, and the Slovak Republic ing the rescue work with alertness has become the

30 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || July 16-31, 2025