Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting to review India’s security preparedness and the prevailing global scenario amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The meeting was attended by a number of Cabinet ministers, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also attended the meeting. Earlier, PM Modi had chaired several high-level meetings to review “Operation Ganga” to bring back stranded Indians from Ukraine.
Amid the fast-developing crisis in Ukraine, EAM Jaishankar will be making a statement in the second part of the Budget Session in Parliament on Operation Ganga. He will also speak on India’s stand vis-a-vis the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Considering the deteriorating security situation in Ukraine, including attacks in the western parts of the country, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv, will be temporarily relocated in Poland, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday.
The Ministry further said that it is keeping an eye on the developments in Ukraine and the situation will be reassessed as per that. “In view of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Ukraine, including attacks in the western parts of the country, it has been decided that the Indian Embassy in Ukraine will be temporarily relocated in Poland. The situation will be reassessed in the light of further developments,” read the MEA statement.
In the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, the Prime Minister took stock of global technology usage in the defence sector and also India’s advances in the same, sources said.
The sources said the Prime Minister emphasised on integrating the latest technology in India’s security apparatus. According to sources, PM Modi reiterated that every effort must be made to make India self-reliant in the defence sector so that it not only strengthens the country’s security but also enhances economic growth.
During the meeting, PM Modi was briefed on the latest developments and different aspects of India’s security preparedness in the border areas as well as in the maritime and air domain.
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.
Prime Minister Modi directed that all possible efforts should be made to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa, who died in Kharkiv.
In Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the efforts to bring back the mortal remains of an Indian student who died during shelling in conflict-ridden Ukraine will be resumed after the situation improves.
“The process to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa, an MBBS student who died during shelling in Ukraine, will be resumed soon after shelling stops there,” said Bommai. He had earlier said that Naveen’s body has been embalmed and kept in a mortuary in Ukraine.
Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, the deceased student, was a resident of Karnataka’s Haveri district. The 21-year-old student of Kharkiv National Medical University was reportedly standing in a queue to buy food when he was killed in Russian shelling.