India will make all-out efforts to help Nepal: Modi

New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India will make all-out efforts to help the people of quake-hit Nepal and wipe their tears in this hour of crisis, giving priority to saving lives of those who might be buried under the debris.

He said a number of rescue teams along with sniffer dogs have been sent to Nepal to save as many lives as they can after the earthquake caused widespread damage in that country yesterday.

“I can feel what Nepal and its people must be going through since I have seen closely the devastation caused by earthquake in Kutch (Gujarat) on January 26, 2001,” Modi said in his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme on AIR.

“My dear brothers and sisters of Nepal, India is with you in this hour of grief. … For 125 crore Indians, Nepal is their own country and India will make all efforts to wipe the tears of every person in Nepal, hold their hands and stand with them,” he said in the programme, much of which he devoted to the recent calamities and other human tragedies like storm in Bihar and efforts to rescue Indians from war-torn Yemen.

Observing that help has already started and teams of experts have been sent, he said the priority is to rescue those people who might be still alive under the debris and all efforts will be made to save them. “Our focus will be to rescue as many people alive as possible.” He said the relief and rehabilitation work after the rescue operations will go on for a long time.

Sharing his pain over a series of natural calamities hitting the region in the recent past, including yesterday’s quake in Nepal, Modi said he was anguished and did not feel like going ahead with his radio address today.

“When I spoke to you last month, hailstorms and unseasonal rains had occurred, devastating the farmers. A few days ago, a storm hit Bihar killing many people and causing a lot of damage. And now on Saturday, this devastating earthquake has shaken the whole world.

“It seems a series of natural disasters has begun. The quake has also killed many people in different states of India. Property has also been damaged. But the destruction and damage in Nepal is massive,” he said.