 "How India is upgrading its ‘first responder’ status with ‘Operation Brahma’ after Myanmar quake")
When in need, look to India. In the aftermath of the powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that rocked Myanmar on Friday (March 28), with tremors even shaking Thailand, India emerged as one of the first countries to respond by initiating its relief and rescue efforts in the country under the banner ‘Operation Brahma’.
As the death toll continues to mount in Myanmar — at last count, it was pegged at nearly 2,000 — New Delhi immediately has extended its helping hand to the country, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi even telling Myanmar’s military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, that “India stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in this difficult hour.”
This isn’t the first time that India has come to the rescue of another country. It has a history of offering humanitarian assistance to countries when struck by natural disasters. We take a look at some of the most successful ones.
Operation Brahma
Soon after the junta-ruled country was hit by the strong earthquake on Friday, India announced that it would offer all necessary humanitarian assistance to Myanmar through Operation Brahma. On Saturday, New Delhi deployed two naval ships and began the deployment of an army field hospital with 118 medical personnel to provide immediate assistance to the injured.
This 118-team from the elite Shatrujeet Brigade Medical Responders will be led by Lieutenant Colonel Jagneet Gill, reported The Economic Times. The Indian Army has said that it would set up a 60-bed medical treatment centre to provide care to those injured in the disaster.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, said on the same, “Today we launched Operation Brahma. Brahma is a god of creation, at a time when we are extending a helping hand to the Government of Myanmar, and to the people of Myanmar to rebuild their country in the wake of the devastation. This particular name of the operation has a special meaning.”
Jaiswal added that when India says ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, India also means it. “When we say the world is one family, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, we also want to mean it. We want to prove that by action and therefore, you know, we are very humbled when we have this opportunity to respond to a crisis such as what has happened in Myanmar and extend our support to people,” he said.
As part of the assistance, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed an 80-member team equipped with concrete cutters, drill machines, plasma cutters, and other rescue tools. Moreover, the first batch of relief supplies, including essential medicines, sleeping bags, blankets, and food, was flown to Yangon early Saturday morning.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also added that as part of ‘Operation Brahma’, INS Satpura & INS Savitri — carrying 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid — is heading to the port of Yangon. And that’s not all; two more ships will follow with additional aid.
Operation Sadbhav
Operation Brahma, however, isn’t a one-off programme. When Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar were hit by Typhoon Yagi in September last year, India launched ‘Operation Sadbhav’ to provide aid and urgent supplies to the devastated countries.
As part of the mission, India sent 10 tonnes of aid, comprising dry rations, clothing, and medicines to Myanmar aboard the Indian naval ship INS Satpura.
Also, 35 tonnes of aid were sent to Vietnam, including water purification items, water containers, blankets, kitchen utensils, and solar lanterns, through the Indian Air Force’s C-17 military transport aircraft.
India’s foreign ministry said in a statement, “Operation Sadbhav is part of India’s broader effort to contribute to HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) within the ASEAN region, in line with its longstanding ‘Act East Policy’.”
Typhoon Yagi was one of the most powerful typhoons to hit Southeast Asia in decades. The storm led to over 220 deaths in Vietnam and over 70 in Myanmar. Moreover, Myanmar’s military government said that the typhoon displaced nearly 2,40,000 people, adding to the 3.4 million already displaced due to the ongoing civil conflict.
Operation Dost
When Turkey and Syria were hit by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in February 2023, it led to unprecedented levels of destruction. Over 21,000 people died and countless others were injured.
Within days of the quake, though, India announced ‘Operation Dost’ to extend humanitarian aid to Turkey. Under this programme, New Delhi sent search and rescue teams, including those from the NDRF. Moreover, India’s canine squad was airlifted to the quake-hit regions to search for survivors under the tonnes and tonnes of rubble.
India also set up an Army field hospital in Iskenderun, Hatay, Turkey, offering all sorts of medical aid to those injured.
As part of Operation Dost, India even sent aid and relief materials to Syria. When asked about sending relief to a country that was facing US sanctions, MEA secretary Sanjay Verma said that India is following the G20 mantra of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. “Sanctions don’t cover such humanitarian assistance,” he said.
In fact, more than six tonnes of emergency relief assistance was flown to Damascus.
Operation Karuna
Later, in May 2023, India also launched Operation Karuna to provide humanitarian assistance for people in Myanmar, who were affected by Cyclone Mocha.
As part of its relief efforts, India sent four ships carrying emergency food items, tents, essential medicines, water pumps, portable generators, clothes, sanitary and hygiene items to Yangon, Myanmar.
#Operation Karuna continues:
— India in Myanmar (@IndiainMyanmar) May 19, 2023
INS Gharial brought 10 medical pallets as HADR supplies for the people affected by #Cyclone Mocha. The medical supplies include antibiotics, anti-infectives, anti-inflmmatory/analgesics, anti-histamines, bronchodilators, pro-kinetic, oral pic.twitter.com/7Y0LCB2uPm
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said, “India continues to be the first responder in the region.”
Operation Karuna came in the aftermath of super cyclone Mocha, which hit Bangladesh and Myanmar. In Myanmar, Rakhine state was the worst-hit while in Bangladesh the cyclone destroyed shelters in the world’s largest refugee camp at Cox’s Bazar which houses a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
Operation Maitri
In the aftershock of the 2015 Nepal earthquake — measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale — India launched Operation Maitri to extend help to the Himalayan kingdom. In fact, India was one of the first countries to respond to the devastating earthquake and launched the largest-ever relief operation in response to a natural disaster on foreign soil.
As part of the operation, India sent 33 Air Force aircraft with 520 tonnes of materials such as tents, blankets, medicines, cooking material, food, water, heavy engineering equipment, ambulances, RO plant and oxygen generators.
Eight Mi-17 and five ALH helicopters of the Indian Army also ferried more than 207 tonnes of relief materials and evacuated over 900 injured and transported over 1,700 stranded people of various nationalities.
With inputs from agencies
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