External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday recalled an incident when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called the presidents of Russia and Ukraine to seek assurances for the safe return of Indian students who were trapped in conflict zones when the war broke out earlier this year.
Speaking at an event in Gujarat's Surat, “In Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a call to Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy told them our children are stuck... got the assurance that firing will not happen during that period and that is how we were able to get our children out.”
The last week of February saw the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, which has resulted in massive deaths of human lives.
India had launched ‘Operation Ganga’ to assist in the evacuation of Indian nationals from war-torn Ukraine. As many as 22,500 Indians, most of them studying in various universities in Ukraine, were evacuated safely.
Despite the global uncertainties due to coronavirus, climate change, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India continues to project a strong business sentiment worldwide, he said while speaking at ‘Modi@20’.
Hailing Modi's efforts to link welfare schemes with Aadhaar, Jaishankar said, "The power of Aadhaar was only understood by the Prime Minister. As a result, direct benefit transfers could be made possible. CoWin portal, PM Awas Yojna, PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojna- nothing would have been possible without it," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Hailing Modi's efforts to link welfare schemes with Aadhaar, Jaishankar said, "The power of Aadhaar was only understood by the Prime Minister. As a result, direct benefit transfers could be made possible. CoWin portal, PM Awas Yojna, PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojna- nothing would have been possible without it," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in the day, Jaishankar visited Surat smart city's Urban Observatory and Emergency Response Centre.
"Impressed by this state-of-the-art facility that is improving quality of living and making the city future ready. A shining example of digital delivery and smart governance of the Modi Government," he said in a tweet.
(With agency inputs)