Modi's aides assess post-quake situation

KATHMANDU, May 1: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a team of his close aides to Nepal to learn about the needs of earthquake victims in Nepal.

Prime Minister Modi's national security advisor Ajit Doval, Principal Secretary at the prime minister's office Pramod Kumar Mishra, Foreign Secretary Dr Subramanyam Jaishankar, Joint Secretary (North) at Ministry of External Affairs Abhay Thakur arrived in Kathmandu on Friday on a chartered plane.The group held meetings with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam and Chief of Army Staff Gaurav SJB Rana to learn about the needs of quake victims in Nepal. The team had flown back to India later in the afternoon. They had carried an aeriel survey of Gorkha district and landed near the epicenter at Barpak where they met Nepal Army commanding officer, local people and Indian medical and engineering teams.

According to Prime Minister Koirala's Foreign Relations Advisor Dr Dinesh Bhattarai, Modi's close aides expressed Indian government's willingness to extend all necessary help to the quake victims. "They basically inquired about the needs of Nepal at this hour of national crisis and expressed readiness to extend all necessary help," Dr Bhattarai said.

In response, Prime Minister Koirala said that earthquake victims were in need of blankets, shelter and medical treatment. "Matters concerning the progress as well as priorities of the Government of Nepal on the rescue, relief and reconstruction works following the devastating earthquake and the cooperation being extended by the Government of India were discussed [during the meeting]," said the press statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Friday.

During the meeting with CoAS Rana, the visiting Indian team had inquired about the rescue and relief efforts being made by Nepal Army in conjunction with the army personnel coming from various parts of the world. Rana had briefed that all search and rescue operation was under way in various earthquake districts and that army was putting efforts to distribute relief materials.

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