As govt initiates Operation Maitri to help Nepal, earthquake toll in India climbs to 66

New Delhi: The death toll in India from Saturday’s earthquake, that jolted several states, has mounted to 66, officials said on Monday, even as the Centre rushed an inter-ministerial team of top officials to help coordinate relief operations in Nepal on Monday. Bihar, the worst hit among the Indian states, accounted for 51 deaths, Uttar Pradesh 12, West Bengal two, and Rajasthan one. The quake and powerful aftershocks that followed have left another 288 injured across the country. India, which has mounted massive relief operations in Nepal as part of ‘Operation Maitri’, airdashed a team of senior officials from ministries of Home, Defence, External Affairs and NDMA to Nepal to coordinate rescue and relief operations in the quake-ravaged country. [caption id=“attachment_2214960” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  PTI images.[/caption] Headed by Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry B K Prasad, the team will also monitor the evacuation of stranded Indians in Nepal. Sources said the team will coordinate with the Nepalese government in the salvage operation and assess the damage. It will send a report to New Delhi so that all help could be provided to the Himalayan nation on priority. The decision to send the high-level team was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday. Nearly 1000 trained personnel from India are already in Nepal where the country has deployed over two dozen aircraft and helicopters as part of rescue and relief efforts, arguably the biggest undertaken in a foreign land struck by a natural disaster. India has so far deployed 13 military aircraft, three civilian aircraft of Air India and Jet Airways, six Mi-17 helicopters, two Advanced Light Helicopters while two more Mi-17 choppers are kept in standby. Ten tonnes of blankets, 50 tonnes of water, 22 tonnes of food items and two tonnes of medicines have been flown to Kathmandu. Three army field hospitals and engineering task force and medical units of civilian doctors have been sent to Nepal. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the role of NDRF, other Indian agencies besides the states in mitigating the sufferings of the people in Nepal. “To all those saying #ThankYouPM- appreciate the sentiment…real thanks should be to our great culture, which teaches us ‘Seva Parmo Dharma’,” Modi tweeted. “If we want to thank anyone, it should be the 125 crore people of India who have made Nepal’s pain their own & extended all help,” he said. The Prime Minister also saluted the resilience of “our sisters & brothers in Nepal & parts of India, for their courage in the face of disaster”. He thanked the states coming forward to help the quake-battered neighbour, besides the disaster management personnel, armed forces, doctors and volunteers rendering their services in Nepal. Assuring all possible help to the neighbouring country, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the Centre was also in regular touch with the states affected by the monster quake. “The Prime Minister has talked to all Chief Ministers and whatever is possible from our side, we are doing it,” he said. “Nepal is our neighbour and we also have cultural relations with it. We have been making all possible efforts from our side. “We had held a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister and many decisions have been taken so that we can provide the maximum help to Nepal,” he told reporters here. A slew of steps have been taken for speedy evacuation of stranded tourists including goodwill visas to foreigners and mobilising of buses and ambulances to bring them by road. Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha today mourned the deaths caused by the temblor. The Modi government’s response to the massive tragedy in Nepal came in for praise by the members, several of whom wanted the government to allow them to use funds under the MPLADS scheme for rehabilitation efforts in the Himalayan country. Some like Derek O’Brien of the TMC also voiced concern over the vacancies existing in the National Disaster Management Authority which had been dissolved after the BJP-led NDA government came to power. He said only three members have been appointed to the 11-12 member NDMA thus far and demanded that all posts be filled without delay. PTI