Rescue Service
Context:
- India’s “Operation Kaveri”—which was started to evacuate Indians trapped within the war-torn Sudan—highlights the difficulties that country experiences in combat. The Ministry of External Affairs is in charge of directing the operation, which includes both the Indian Navy and Air Force.
India’s history of rescue efforts:
- The Indian military is well renowned for its participation in several missions both inside and outside of the nation. In addition to national security, our forces have actively taken part in anti-terrorist, rescue, and humanitarian missions. Among them are:
- Operation Sukoon (2006): India launched this operation, which is now infamously known as the “Beirut Sealift,” to rescue its stranded residents after Israel and Lebanon broke out into armed confrontation in July 2006.
- Operation Safe Homecoming (2011): To return Indian nationals who are stranded in unstable Libya. Indian citizens were evacuated as part of the operation.
- In the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the Indian government and the Indian Armed Forces collaborated to conduct Operation Maitri, a relief and rescue effort.
- Operation Raahat (2015): The Yemeni government and Houthi rebels engaged in combat in 2015. The military eventually evacuated thousands of stranded Indians.
- Operation Sankat Mochan (2016): The Indian Air Force carried out Operation Sankat Mochan to remove Indian citizens and other foreign people from South Sudan during the South Sudanese Civil War.
- Operation Samudra Setu (2020): During the Covid-19 epidemic, it was a naval operation that was a part of the national effort to return Indian residents from abroad home.
- Operation Devi Shakti (2021): The IAF launched an evacuation operation in 2021 to repatriate Indian people back from Afghanistan in a secure manner following the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
- The goal of Operation Ganga (2022) is to evacuate all Indian nationals who are now stranded in Ukraine and bring them home.
Challenges:
- The departure from Sudan puts India’s unique difficulties in any crisis back into sharp relief.
- India has done well in terms of support, although it is still unclear when exactly these relief measures will begin.
- Relief attempts frequently reach impacted populations a long time after disasters occur, causing the loss of life and property.
- India occasionally fails to portray itself in the international media as a help provider.
- It has been noted that the Indian armed forces encounter difficulties when it comes to being ready to respond to and recover from disasters.
Moving ahead:
- There are currently very few conflicts that do not touch Indian citizens, with over seven million visitors and travellers annually and around 14 million non-resident Indians.
- Given that many people work in the most hazardous conditions—for instance, students in Ukraine, nurses in Iraq or Yemen, or labourers in Libya, Syria, and Lebanon—the government has a larger obligation to assist those without the means to leave for safer ground.
- The government must take into account a standard operating process and even a dedicated force to handle such situations, as suggested by the Parliamentary Standing Committee for External Affairs in 2022.
- Additionally, it is crucial to prevent unneeded disputes about gaining domestic political mileage as well as unsightly public spats over evacuation during times of crisis. These situations should also be free of political grandstanding and finger-pointing.
Conclusion:
- India is respected for its track record of mobilising all of its resources to save every single citizen in any part of the world whenever they are in need. That standing must be preserved.
