President Kovind lauds evacuation of citizens from Afghanistan under Op Devi Shakti
Jan 31, 2022
New Delhi [India], January 31 : President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday lauded India's effort to evacuate its citizens under Operation Devi Shakti in Afghanistan.
Addressing the Parliament joint sitting ahead of the Budget Session, the President said, "Despite challenges, we successfully airlifted our citizens, Afghan-Hindu-Sikh-minorities from Kabul as part of Operation Devi Shakti. We also brought back the two 'saroops' of Guru Granth Sahib; also supplying medical supplies to Afghanistan."
Operation Devi Shakti was an operation of the Indian Armed Forces to evacuate Indian citizens and foreign nationals from Afghanistan after the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul, the capital city, to the Taliban last August.
India also brought back copies of the Guru Granth Sahib to New Delhi in a special repatriation flight in December 2021.
Lauding India's efforts for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan he informed about medical supplies to the war-torn.
Meanwhile, India has supplied three tonnes of medicines to Afghanistan as part of its fourth batch of medical assistance under humanitarian aid.
The Ministry of External Affairs had also stated earlier that India stands committed to continuing its special relationship with the people of Afghanistan and providing humanitarian assistance.
"We had already supplied three shipments of medical assistance, consisting of 500,000 doses of COVID vaccine and essential life-saving medicines to Afghanistan. The same was handed over to the WHO and India Gandhi Children Hospital, Kabul," the statement added.
The Ministry also informed that in the coming weeks India would be supplying more batches of humanitarian assistance consisting of medicines and foodgrains for the people of Afghanistan.
