IAF aircraft leaves for Romania to bring back stranded Indians

New Delhi: A C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force left for Romania on Wednesday morning carrying humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The aircraft is expected to bring back Indians from Romania, who exited war-hit Ukraine through its border crossings.

Officials said the aircraft left for Romania early morning.

India on Tuesday sent the first tranche of humanitarian assistance comprising medicines and other relief materials to Ukraine via Poland.

India had decided to send the relief supplies to Ukraine to help it deal with the humanitarian situation along its border areas with tens of thousands of people attempting to flee the Russian invasion.

"The prime minister noted that the first consignment of relief supplies to Ukraine to deal with the humanitarian situation on Ukraine's borders would be despatched tomorrow," the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday. 

 6 flights departed for India in last 24 hours under 'Op Ganga'

Six flights under India's evacuation mission 'Operation Ganga' have departed for India in the last 24 hours, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.

India launched the evacuation mission under which the Indians from Hungary, Romania, Poland and Slovakia are being brought back home after they exited Ukraine through its land border crossings.

Jaishankar said the flights that departed for India in the last 24 hours included the first one from Poland.

In the last few days, Indian evacuation flights were operating from Romanian capital Bucharest and Hungarian capital Budapest.

"#OperationGanga developments. Six flights have now departed for India in the last 24 hours. Includes the first flights from Poland. Carried back 1,377 more Indian nationals from Ukraine," Jaishankar tweeted this morning.

All arrangements made for travel of evacuated Indians from Ukraine, says Union Minister Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday received the Indians who returned on a special flight from war-hit Ukraine on Wednesday.

He said that state-wise help desks have been created at the Delhi airport to help the students who came from war-hit Ukraine reach their respective homes.

"We have created help desks for every state. Students are approaching the respective help desks. They are being provided refreshments. We have made arrangements for the Volvo buses so that students of other states can travel to their respective home places by road. We have made arrangements for guest houses for the students who will be going by train," Singh told the mediapersons at the Delhi Airport.

Singh also said that a few of the students will be travelling by flight, including three of them headed for Srinagar. "We will be making arrangements. All the ministers are involved in making arrangements for the evacuated students," he added.