300 personnel, four aircraft, a mobile hospital: What India is doing to help quake-hit Nepal

India is sending disaster-response teams, medical aid and food supplies to Nepal, which was hit by a powerful earthquake on Saturday. International rescue teams and relief supplies began arriving in Nepal’s devastated capital on Monday to help terrified and homeless survivors of a quake that has killed more than 3,200 people in the impoverished nation. [caption id=“attachment_2214198” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Nepalese policemen clear the debris at Basantapur Durbar Square. AP[/caption] Equipped with heavy cutting gear and accompanied by sniffer dogs, rescue teams were landing round-the-clock at the country’s only international airport on the outskirts of Kathmandu, the normally vibrant capital which has been devastated by Saturday’s 7.8 magnitude quake. India’s foreign secretary, S. Jaishankar, said India would do “everything within its capability to be of help to Nepal in this difficult moment.” Operation Maitri The Indian Army has named the aid to Nepal ‘Operation Maitri’ or friendship, a day after it started extending help to the neighbouring country that was hit by a massive earthquake just before noon on Saturday, leaving a trail of death and destruction. In addition to the specialist teams of its National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), India has already moved large amounts of relief material to the Himalayan kingdom, besides its Air Force moving essential supplies to Nepal and flying back over 500 of its stranded citizens from its capital Kathmandu since late Saturday. “India is moving in massive amount of rescue and relief material, equipment and specialists the second day (Sunday),” said Sitanshu Kar, the spokesperson for the defence ministry. “Ten flights were planned for Kathmandu on Sunday. These would be airlifting army’s forward hospitals, engineering task forces, water, food, National Disaster Response Force teams, medical personnel and equipment, blankets and tents.” India’s National Disaster Response Force 10 teams, 45 personnel each, of India’s National Disaster Response Force are in Nepal. India’s Foreign Ministry said four air force planes – including a C-130 Super Hercules – were scheduled to touch down in Katmandu by the end of the day on Saturday, carrying dozens of disaster-management personnel and a mobile hospital. Helicopters were also being prepared to help with rescue efforts and the distribution of food, the Foreign Ministry said. With communication lines down and the sheer scale of the disaster in Nepal making things unmanageable, India is sending UAVs to Kathmandu to map the destruction in the neighbouring country and help rescue efforts, according to a Times of India report . India also flew in 13 military transport planes loaded with tonnes of food, blankets and other aid. Three army field hospitals, an engineering task force, a medical contingent of civilian doctors have also been sent to Kathmandu with two tonnes of medical supplies. Ten tonnes of blankets and tents were lifted on Sunday, along with 50 tonnes of water provided by the Railways and 22 tonnes of food pooled in by states and voluntary organisations, the top foreign official said. “We also hope to get people out by buses,” he said according to the Indian Express . By the end of the day Saturday, four Indian aircraft carrying nearly 300 disaster-response personnel and a mobile hospital had landed in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, according to the Wall Street Journal .

Indians rescued Sitanshu Kar, Principal Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence, Government of India has tweeted saying that as of now, IAF has evacuated 1935 passengers from Kathmandu utilising 12 aircraft sorties.

India will help you tide over crisis, wipe your tears, Modi tells survivors in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India would try its best to “wipe the tears” of the people of Nepal and do all it can to help them tide over the crisis following the devastating earthquake. “My dear brothers and sisters of Nepal, India is with you in this hour of grief. …. For 125 crore Indians, Nepal is their own. India will do its best to wipe the tears of every Nepali, hold their hands and stand with them,” PM Modi said in his radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’ on Sunday. Sharing his pain over a series of natural calamities hitting the region in the recent past including Saturday’s quake in Nepal, Modi said he was anguished and did not feel like going ahead with his radio address.

What Indian airlines, railways doing to help IndiGo has resumed operations into Kathmandu and is on standby to carry relief material to the country free of charge. Spice Jet said it was also looking into operating additional relief flights, if required. Accredited NGOs and relief organizations looking to transport emergency supplies, doctors are requested to contact airline by e-mail and SpiceJet would accommodate as many requests as possible free of charge, it said.

Industry body FICCI hasjoined hands with the government to extend relief to quake -hit Nepal “We have already got an overwhelming response from our members. FICCI President Jyotsana Suri has committed to provide perennial water supply and about 5,000 bottles are being arranged to be dispatched,” FICCI Secretary General Didar Singh said in a statement. Further, more than 2,000 tents, blankets, baby food, and medicines are being supplied by the FICCI members which will be sent to the neighbouring country in coordination with the government. Meanwhile, auto major Mahindra & Mahindra provided tractors and pick up vehicles to earthquake-hit Nepal as it came forward to support the rehabilitation work. The company today pledged its support by providing its products – tractors and pick up vehicles to the Nepal Government through their local distributor which would be used for the rehabilitation work, M&M said in a statement. Telecom operators Telecom operators MTS India and Tata Teleservices have also slashed charges for calls made to earthquake-hit Nepal to support disaster relief efforts. State-run telecom firms BSNL and MTNL, and private companies like Airtel and Idea Cellular have already announced reduction in charges or made free calls to Nepal, where over 2,000 people were killed after a devastating earthquake. (With agency inputs)