Last month, India has sent large-scale humanitarian assistance to the five Global South countries. Of the five, two countries are in Southeast Asia and three are in southern Africa. Both these regions are part of India’s extended neighbourhood.

Security personnel dispatch relief material to Typhoon Yagi-hit Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.(PTI)

Laos and Vietnam are struggling after a typhoon. Typhoon Yagi has torn through Southeast Asia, and India has been among the first countries to dispatch humanitarian assistance through special aircraft. India has sent hygiene kits, blankets, gensets, water purifiers, water purification tablets and other material to these two countries. This assistance is framed as part of India’s Act East policy.

The other three countries that received humanitarian assistance are Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These three countries are struggling due to the severe drought caused by the El-Nino. India has sent rice and maize to these three African countries from the Nhava Sheva port on the western coast. The assistance to these countries is framed as part of India’s outreach to Africa and the embodiment of the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam.

This is not the first time that India has sent humanitarian assistance to countries in its extended neighbourhood. Last year, when an earthquake shattered parts of Türkiye and Syria, India was among the first countries to send assistance to Türkiye. This assistance was dispatched despite Türkiye supporting Pakistan on Kashmir.

In the last five years, India dispatched humanitarian assistance to countries as diverse as Maldives, Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, Djibouti, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and the Comoros. This assistance was in the form of food and medical aid. Indian navy and air force were deployed to deliver this assistance. All of these countries are located in the wider Indian Ocean region.

The regularity of India’s humanitarian assistance and the swiftness of response indicate that India is thinking strategically about humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) efforts as a useful tool in the foreign policy matrix.

India sends food and medical assistance because it is in a position to do so. India is a food surplus country and is also a major player in the global pharmaceutical industry. India’s food surplus allows it to support a massive domestic food security effort as well as send food aid abroad. India’s pharma industry is known for manufacturing quality medicines at reasonable prices. Therefore, well-developed domestic capabilities in food and pharma sectors allow India to send assistance to the Global South countries.

Second, over the years, India has developed air and naval capabilities, in the form of platforms as well as planning, to deliver such assistance across Asia and Africa. It has acquired long-range platforms such as the C-130 J Super Hercules and C-17 Globemaster aircraft from the United States (US). These long-range strategic airlifters are useful to send medical and food assistance quickly to countries in need. Besides, the Indian Navy has long been a force to reckon with in the Indo-Pacific. The Navy carries out long-range, strategic naval deployments and closer engagement with the littoral countries. Humanitarian assistance is part of this broader defence diplomacy effort as well. Hence, India calls itself first responder in the Indian Ocean.

Third, India sees itself as the champion of the Global South. India organised Voice of Global South summits in 2023 and 2024. Even in multilateral forums such as the United Nations (UN), India positions itself as the advocate of the Global South. There has been a remarkable continuity despite changes in India’s foreign policy. In the past, India’s leadership in grouping such as the Non-Aligned Movement, G-77, New International Economic Order and South-South Cooperation indicated this willingness to engage and lead the Global South.

Fourth, addressing the concerns of Global South countries in the time of need demonstrates India’s national interests and values. The quick response time and the ability to deliver assistance in difficult circumstances are testimony to India’s strategic capabilities. It is also part of India’s image-building as a good, capable, and responsible citizen of the international community.

Therefore, it is imperative that India continues this policy of sending quick and large-scale assistance to the Global South. However, there is no specialised institutional set-up that specifically deals with this aspect of India’s foreign policy. Addressing this institutional gap would perhaps go a long way in garnering strategic benefits of HADR efforts.

This article is authored by Sankalp Gurjar, assistant professor, geopolitics and geo-economics, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune.