Operation Sagar Bandhu: India Sends Chetak Choppers, Aid to Cyclone Ditwah-Hit Sri Lanka

In this Special Report, India Today Global Editor Pranay Upadhyay details India's humanitarian response to Sri Lanka following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah. Speaking to anchor Suyesha Savant, Upadhyay explains that 'Operation Sagar Bandhu has been launched by India', marking a significant deployment of two Chetak helicopters from the INS Vikrant for search and rescue missions. He notes that this is the first time the Indian Air Force has provided helicopter-borne aid to a foreign nation since similar assistance in 1957. The report highlights India's 'Neighborhood First' policy, with the government also establishing a helpline for stranded Indian nationals. Additionally, the Indian Navy is coordinating relief efforts, having already dispatched aid material to the cyclone-hit island nation.