India is extending immediate relief assistance of USD 200,000 to support relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts in the Kingdom of Tonga in the wake of a tsunami that wrought havoc in the Pacific islands and caused untold destruction of lives and infrastructure. 

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday. "As a close friend and partner under the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) and as a gesture of solidarity with the friendly people of Tonga, Government of India extends an immediate relief assistance of USD 200,000 to support relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the Kingdom of Tonga," the MEA statement read.

"India has firmly stood by Tonga during times of crisis and devastation caused by natural disasters, as during Cyclone Gita in 2018. Disaster Risk Reduction and Management is an important pillar of India's Indo-Pacific Oceans' Initiative (IPOI) announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2019," the MEA added in its statement.