- By Aalok Sensharma
- Sun, 06 Mar 2022 03:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Pune | Jagran News Desk: Lauding the steps taken by his government to evacuate Indians from war-torn Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attributed the success of Operation Ganga to the country's growing influence in the global arena, noting several "big countries" are facing difficulties in doing so for their citizens.
"We are evacuating thousands of Indians safely from war zone through Operation Ganga," said PM Modi, as reported by news agency PTI, after inaugurating the golden jubilee celebration of Symbiosis University. "It is due to India's growing influence that it has brought thousands of students from the war zone of Ukraine back to their motherland."
India has launched Operation Ganga in a bid to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Till now, the country has evacuated over 13,700 Indian nationals and citizens from Ukraine, said the Ministry of External Affairs (EAM) on Saturday.
PM Modi inaugurates Pune metro project
Earlier in the day, PM Modi also inaugurated the Pune metro project and said the Centre is focusing on improving mass transportation, including the metro rail connectivity. Appealing to people to travel by metro trains, he said the Pune metro project shows that such projects can be completed on time.
"...Today, I got the opportunity to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various projects. I am fortunate that I got the opportunity to lay the foundation stone of the Pune metro and today, you have invited me to inaugurate the project," PM Modi said. "Earlier (during past governments), the foundation laying used to take place, but it was not known when the inauguration of the same project will take place".
The inauguration of the 12-km stretch of the total 32.2-km long project took place at the Garware metro station, from where PM Modi flagged off the project and proceeded to take the metro ride to the Anandnagar station, located nearly five km away.
During the ride, the PM interacted with differently-abled students, some of them visually impaired, present inside the metro coach. Before taking the metro ride from the Garware station, he also inspected an exhibition of the project put up there.