Mukherjee hands over aid consignment for quake-affected Sichuan province

Chengdu, June 7 : Visiting Indian External Minister Pranab Mukherjee handed over a new consignment of aid for the earthquake-affected people of Sichuan province here today.

An IL-76 carrying 28 tons of relief material including around 200 tents toccommodate over 1200 people, landed here on Saturday.

This is the biggest ever relief consignment taken up by India and was termed Operation Sahayata 2, Operation Sahayata 1 was conducted in Myanmar.

After handing over the relief material to the Vice Governor of Sichuan province Huang Xiao Xiang at the tarmac of Chengdu, Mukherjee said: "We have expressed our solidarity and sympathy to the people of China'.

In response, Xiang said: "I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Indian people for their aid and help."

Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has already announced a grant of five million dollars as aid. By Naveen Kapoor

ANI