Helicopter rescue is one of the most challenging works for the betterment of a country during the Covid-19 pandemic. The fact that the terrain of Nepal is extremely challenging to fly and that the remotest places have no proper runways makes the job doubly difficult. Add to that the recent fluctuations in climate that have made rescue all the more difficult. In these trying circumstances, Captain Rabindra Bahadur Basnet has been an exemplar in the field of rescue operations.
Captain Basnet initiated flights in the army during the first flush of the Covid outbreak. He was also deployed to the Kalapani conflict, where his services were glorified not only by the locals but his subordinates as well. To rescue more than 7000 lives is a figure of the most extraordinary kind.
When heroes are rarely recognized due to social media hoaxes, it is no wonder that Captain Basnet has not come under the radar for his devotion to saving lives. It is high time that we recognized his efforts and all the others in his battalion.
