From food supplies and support for capacity building to Covid-19 vaccines, India as a first responder, under the SAGAR initiative, has been at the forefront in providing humanitarian assistance to India’s friendly maritime countries of the Indian Ocean Region in their times of crisis. The External affairs Ministry on Monday said that New Delhi is sending a consignment of 1,000 metric tonnes of rice and 100,000 hydroxychloroquine tablets to Madagascar in response to its appeal for assistance. Madagascar is fighting a humanitarian crisis triggered by a severe drought.