The Indian government on Thursday dispatched humanitarian supplies aboard a special charter flight bound of Papua New Guinea, which has been hit by a massive volcanic eruption last month.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a statement that the supplies included 11 tonnes of disaster relief material and six tonnes of medical aid.
He said that the disaster relief aid comprised tents, sleeping mats, hygeiene kits, ready-to-eat meals and water storage tanks.
The medical supplies included essential medicines, surgical items, sanitary pads, rapid antigen test kits, pregnancy test kits, mosquito repellents and baby food items, stated the Indian official.
On 6 December, New Delhi announced a $1 million “immediate relief assistance” package for Papua New Guinea in the wake of the volcanic eruption.
“India extends deep sympathy to the Government and the people of Papua New Guinea for the damage and destruction caused by the disaster,” the MEA said in its statement.
It noted that New Delhi, as a “close friend and partner”, had stood by the Pacific nation in times of crisis.
“Disaster risk reduction and management is an important pillar of India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI) announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2019,” stressed the Indian statement.