Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday felicitated Operation Dost teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel returning after relief and rescue work in the earthquake struck Turkey  and Syria and told them the whole nation is proud of them.

He said whether it was the Army, Air Force or any other security force, all had done excellent work. Even the voice-less dog squads had displayed outstanding capacity of service.

“Our culture teaches us Vasudhaiva Kutumbaka, the whole world is a family,” he said. For the large hearted people, the whole world is family, they do not differentiate between personal and non-personal, he said. For them, everyone is family and serve them equally. In Turkiye or Syria, the whole team showed this philosophy, the Prime Minister said.

“We treat the whole world as family. As such, if any member of the family is faced with a crisis, it is India’s dharma and duty to help anyone in need speedily. It can be any country, if it is a matter of humanity, of human sensibilities, India keeps the human interest above all,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of quick response time during a natural calamity, the Prime Minister referred to the ‘Golden Hour’ and said that the speedy response of the NDRF teams in Turkiye drew the attention of the entire world. He said that the quick response highlights the preparedness and training skills of the teams.

Recalling the images of a mother who blessed the members of the team for their efforts, the Prime Minister noted the pride that every Indian felt after witnessing every image of rescue and relief operations that was carried out in the affected areas.

Recalling the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat and his time as a volunteer there, the Prime Minister underlined the difficulty of the task of removing rubble and finding people below that. The Prime Minister also recalled the Morbi Dam tragedy in 1979. “On the basis of my experiences in these calamities, I can appreciate your hard work, spirit and emotions. Today I salute you all,” the Prime Minister said.

He underlined that those who are capable of helping themselves are called self-sufficient but those who have the capability to help others in their time of need are called selfless. This, he said, applies not only to individuals but to nations also.

That is why in the past few years India has nurtured its selflessness along with its self-sufficiency. “Wherever we reach with the ‘Tiranga’, there is an assurance that now that the Indian teams have arrived, the situation will start getting better”, the Prime Minister said. He recalled Operation Ganga in Ukraine and Operation Devi Shakti in Afghanistan. The same spirit was shown by India internationally during the Covid-19 crisis.

The Prime Minister expressed delight that the NDRF has built a very good reputation among the people of the country over the years. “The people of the country trust NDRF”, he said. The deputation of women personnel for relief and rescue was assuring for people.

He underlined that the faith and hope of the people are reassured when NDRF reaches the field and said that it is a great achievement in itself. When sensitivity is added to a force with skill, the Prime Minister said, then the strength of that force increases manifold.

Emphasizing the need to strengthen India’s capacity for relief and rescue at the time of the disaster, the Prime Minister said, “We have to strengthen our identity as the best relief and rescue team in the world. The better our own preparation, the better we will be able to serve the world.”