Once Again Ready To Deliver Humanitarian Aid To Afghan People: India

Underlining that Afghanistan has already seen much bloodshed and violence in recent years and it is in urgent need of assistance, India at the UN Security Council meeting, has said that New Delhi is once again ready to deliver urgent humanitarian aid consisting of food grains and medicines to the people of Afghanistan.

"Over half of Afghanistan's population is facing a crisis on emergency levels of acute food insecurity, and urgent humanitarian assistance is required to meet the basic food needs of the people," India's Ambassador to the UN TS Tirumurti said on Wednesday (local time) during the UNSC meeting on Afghanistan.

Emphasising that India has supported the call of the international community that access to humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan should be direct and without any hindrance, Mr Tirumurti said, humanitarian aid should be non-discriminatory and accessible to all, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or political belief.

"The assistance should reach the most vulnerable first, including women, children and minorities," he said.

The Ambassador called on the international community and countries in the region to come together, rising above partisan interests.

"India is willing to coordinate with other stakeholders to work towards enabling the expeditious provision of much-needed assistance to the people of Afghanistan," he said.

Highlighting that over the last two decades, India has contributed significantly to the development of Afghanistan, Mr Tirumurti said: "Even as we speak, India continues to grant educational scholarships to thousands of Afghan men and women to continue their education in India."