Previous Year Question
Medical students of India were brought to India from Ukraine by Indian Government under which of the following operations?
Operation Ganga
Operation Himalaya
Operation Yamuna
Operation Godavari
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
The Government of India conducted Operation Ganga during February–March 2022 to safely bring back Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine. Many Indian students studying there, including medical students, were brought back under this operation.
Because of the war, direct evacuation through ordinary civilian flights from Ukraine was not possible. Indian nationals were therefore first moved to neighbouring countries through land borders, after which flights to India were arranged.
Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia were important in this evacuation. Indian missions in these countries assisted citizens arriving across the borders and coordinated their onward travel. Thus, the operation can be understood as—evacuation from Ukraine by land → neighbouring country → flight to India.
Approximately 22,500 Indian nationals were evacuated from Ukraine under the operation. 90 evacuation flights were operated, including 14 Indian Air Force flights. These are overall evacuation figures and should not be interpreted as the number of medical students alone.
The question mentions medical students, but the operation’s scope was the safe return of Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine.