After the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that flattened parts of the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu on Saturday and unleashed avalanches on Mount Everest, India and China barely missed a beat. Within hours of the disaster, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dispatched military aircraft carrying workers, medicines and blankets.

International aid agencies and governments mobilized on Sunday to respond to the earthquake in Nepal, saying they faced challenges in getting assistance to the country and distributing it amid the widespread devastation there. In the aftermath of the disaster, which has killed more than 2,400 people, injured 5,900 and left many more homeless, development workers said that continued aftershocks, a crippled transport network and the loss of power in parts of the country had made it tough to search for survivors and distribute much-needed supplies.

International aid groups and governments have escalated efforts to dispatch rescuers and supplies to earthquake-hit Nepal, but severed communications and landslides in the Himalayan nation posed formidable challenges to the relief effort.

Israel will be sending a search and rescue team to Nepal, including medical staff, in the wake of Saturday's massive earthquake, sources in the Prime Minister's Office have said. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman also said that Israel plans to send an aircraft to evacuate any Israelis who want to return home from site of the disaster.

According to the Development Cooperation Report 2013-14, nearly one-sixth of all the  foreign assistance that comes to Nepal is received through international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), a government report said. 

Desmond Swayne, the UK Minister for International Development, is currently in Nepal on a three-day visit. Swayne, who arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday, is scheduled to oversee DFID’s bilateral programs and  its efforts on combating poverty and promoting economic growth in Nepal. 

2014 was a trailblazing year for Indian foreign policy, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sustained emphasis on improving our major external relationships. Indians enter the New Year with a more involved and connected feeling towards the rest of the world because Mr Modi has been hyperactive in travelling abroad, hosting key global leaders at home, and winning hearts and minds on an international scale.

 While expressing readiness to extend help to Nepal in various nine prioritized areas, China has announced to make a substantial increase in its grant assistance to Nepal.