'Government at your doorstep': PM Modi's initiative for distressed parents with children stuck in Ukraine

By Payal Mehta
New Delhi [India], March 2 : As part of efforts to reach out to parents whose children are still stuck in Ukraine amid heightened tensions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed that local officials including tehsildar, collector or even ministers should get in touch with these families to give them assurance of full support of the government during trying times.
Officials said that Prime Minister has given instructions that families whose members are still in Ukraine amid heightened tensions due to the conflict situation should be contacted by a representative of the government.
"To calm down anxious parents of those students who are still stuck in Ukraine, there are instructions from the Prime Minister that these families may be contacted by a representative of the government from the tehsildar, to the collector to even ministers to make sure that the families do not feel alone or feel any distress during trying times," an official said.
There are heightened tensions due to Russia's military action in Ukraine.
The officials said the Prime Minister has also instructed that any issues faced by these families must be addressed immediately.
They said the move was a strong message of support and part of an approach "to take governance to the doorstep of the citizens".
They also said the Prime Minister has asked his entire team to have "an all hands on the deck approach" as far as the evacuation of Indian citizens from Ukraine is concerned.
From sending multiple evacuation flights to countries around Ukraine to get Indians, especially students out, four ministers in the Modi government have also been sent to four different countries to help speed up the evacuation process.
Citing instances, officials said SDM of Sikandrabad Rakesh Kumar visited the house of Mukul Goel, a student in Ukraine, and met his father Amit Goel. Amit Kumar was told that their son is safe and staying in the hotel in Romania.
Narender Kumar, City Magistrate, Charkhi Dadri visited the family of Mohnish Vats. The family was told that Vats has taken a train from Ukraine to Slovakia.
Deputy Commissioner Bongaigaon MS Lakshmi Priya visited the family of a stranded student Swastik Raj, son of Birendra Prasad Gupta in Bongaigaon city in Assam. Swastik Raj is a student of Kyiv medical university, Ukraine, and has safely reached the Indian Embassy in Hungary.
In the last four days, more than five meetings have been held by Prime Minister focusing on Operation Ganga to bring each and every Indian citizen back to the country from conflict-ridden Ukraine.
The officials said the Prime Minister has made clear that evacuation remains the biggest priority and the concerns of the family remain the topmost concern of the government.