Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a meeting to review India’s security preparedness and measures taken to evacuate citizens from Ukraine.
The meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
Modi was briefed on “different aspects of India’s security preparedness in the border areas as well as in the maritime and air domain,” a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“The Prime Minister was also briefed on the latest developments in Ukraine, including the details of Operation Ganga to evacuate Indian nationals, along with some citizens of India’s neighbouring countries, from Ukraine,” the press release said.
During Sunday’s meeting, Modi also said that all possible efforts should be taken to bring back the body of Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, an Indian student who killed in shelling at Kharkiv city in northeastern Ukraine.
Gyanagoudar was killed on March 1 after he left a metro station in Kharkiv city to buy groceries while there was heavy shelling in the city.
After Russia had begun its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the former Soviet country had closed its airspace for civilian aircraft. The students were being evacuated through these countries neighbouring Ukraine.
India has evacuated around 18,000 Indians under Operation Ganga, which was launched on February 26.
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