New Delhi, Jun 13 (IANS): Proving once again that India remains a leader in providing unwavering support to its nationals at times of their need, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirtivardhan Singh reached Kuwait on Thursday to oversee assistance to those injured in Wednesday's fire tragedy and coordinate with the local authorities for early repatriation of mortal remains of around 40 Indians who died in the unfortunate incident.
Singh, who assumed charge as MoS for External Affairs only on Tuesday, travelled to Kuwait City on the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has for over the past 10 years made it clear that the BJP-led NDA government accords the highest priority to the safety, security, and well-being of Indians staying abroad.
That Modi 3.0 will continue to work in a mission mode to ensure the well-being of the Indian citizens living abroad became evident on Wednesday, immediately after the news of the tragic fire at a labour housing facility in the Mangaf area of Kuwait City broke.
PM Modi, who had a busy day with two swearing-in ceremonies lined up in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, was constantly tracking the developments in Kuwait City while on the move.
Adarsh Swaika, the Ambassador of India to Kuwait, immediately visited the accident site in Mangaf before meeting the injured Indian workers admitted to the Farwaniya Hospital and the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital in Kuwait City, assuring them of the Embassy's full support.
The Indian government was also in constant touch with the relevant Kuwaiti law enforcement, fire service, and health authorities for necessary action and emergency medical care.
The magnitude of the incident was quite clear by the time the Prime Minister landed in Bhubaneswar.
"The fire mishap in Kuwait City is saddening. My thoughts are with all those who lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait is closely monitoring the situation and working with the authorities there to assist the affected," the Prime Minister posted on X at 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Soon after, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that the Prime Minister had directed that MoS External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh will be leaving for Kuwait to oversee assistance and coordinate with the local authorities.
A few hours later, PM Modi chaired a meeting at his residence in New Delhi to review the situation emerging out of the Kuwait tragedy.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh, Principal Secretary to PM Pramod Kumar Mishra, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, and many other senior officials attended the meeting.
Ever since coming into power for the first time in 2014, it has been a hallmark of the Modi government to make all-out efforts to ensure the safety and security of Indians stranded abroad due to the Covid pandemic, international conflicts, calamities, or even fake job rackets.
Thousands of Indians have been safely evacuated from the war zones in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Sudan, pandemic-hit China and Cambodia where they were stuck after being lured with fake employment opportunities.
Between May 2020 and March 2022, the Indian government successfully facilitated the travel of approximately 3.20 crore people under the Vande Bharat Mission.
When the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, PM Modi himself led from the front and spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to ensure the safety, security, and safe evacuation of the Indian students stuck in the warzone.
PM Modi's efforts led to both parties declaring a ceasefire and opening up humanitarian corridors for facilitating the evacuation of civilians, including Indian students.