Kathmandu, Nov. 5: Following up on the commitment by Indian Prime Minister  Narendra Modi to provide all possible assistance to Nepal following the earthquake in Jajarkot on 3 November, the first consignment of the emergency relief materials arrived at Nepalgunj, Nepal, today.

A special Indian Air Force C-130 flight transported the consignment of over 11 tonnes emergency relief materials that included tents and tarpaulin sheets, blankets and sleeping bags as well as essential medicines and medical equipment such as portable ventilators for the affected people.

The relief materials were handed over by the Ambassador of India to Nepal,  Naveen Srivastava on behalf of the Government of India to Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister & Defence Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka in the presence of Chief Minister of Karnali Raj Kumar Sharma.

Further consignments of the relief material are expected to arrive in the coming days. As a close friend and neighbour, India remains committed to extending all possible support to those affected by the earthquake in Nepal.

India continues to be a First Responder in crisis situations in its neighbourhood and beyond. Following the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, the Government of India was the first responder and carried out its largest disaster relief operation abroad - Operation Maitri. India had also extended US$ 1 billion to Nepal as part of its long-term assistance for post-earthquake reconstruction in housing, education, health and cultural heritage sectors and included reconstruction of 50,000 houses in Nepal’s Gorkha and Nuwakot districts.