Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that after the Russia-Ukraine war, petrol prices in the developed world had risen by more than 50 per cent, while in India they had risen by only 5 per cent. During a brief debate in the Lok Sabha on the situation in Ukraine, when opposition parties accused Indians of being expelled from Ukraine, Minister Hardeep Singh Puri dismissed their accusation that “Operation Ganga” does not mean “rescue operation” but “rescue operation”. Minister Puri further said: I was also one of the special envoys sent to the border countries of Ukraine to coordinate the withdrawal of Indians from war-torn Ukraine. Under the name ‘Operation Ganga’, buses were arranged by the Indian government to rescue students stranded in Ukraine and take them to countries bordering Ukraine, where they were brought to safety. India is not the only country affected by the Russia-Ukraine war that has pushed up petrol prices. This war has affected the entire world. Petrol prices in India are very low after the war compared to various developed countries. Petrol prices have risen by more than 50 per cent, especially in the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany and Sri Lanka. In India, petrol price hike is only 5 per cent. Similarly, the price of natural gas in the international market has increased many times since the Russia-Ukraine war. Opposition parties have stated they will not run for office until the war is over. This is because even before the start of the war, the students studying there were given clear instructions by the Indian Embassy in the Central Government. As a result, about 4,000 students fled Ukraine before the war began. On the advice of Ukrainian educational institutions, many students may continue to stay there or they may not leave immediately for fear of losing their education for a year if they leave. Later, under the “Operation Ganga” program, 18,000 students trapped there were brought to various countries along the border with Ukraine, safely rescued and repatriated. The Indian embassy in Ukraine asked students to register the names of those who wanted to leave before the war began. “Operation Ganga was one of the most successful rescue operations in the world,” he said.
