6037 Indians have been flown back to India in 31 inbound flights operated by Air India and Air India Express under Vande Bharat Mission in 5 days beginning from 7th May 2020.

The government of India started Vande Bharat Mission - one of the largest initiatives to repatriate nationals back to India, on 7th May 2020. Under this mission, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs and state Governments for bringing Indians back to their homeland.

Air India along with its subsidiary Air India Express are operating a total of 64 flights (42 by Air India & 24 by AI Express) to 12 countries viz. USA, UK Bangladesh, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Philippines, UAE, and Malaysia to repatriate 14,800 Indians back in the first phase.

Each and every function in this massive air evacuation mission strictly adhere to the safety and hygiene protocol laid down by the Government and DGCA. MoCA, AAI, and Air India leave no stone unturned to prioritize the safety of passengers, the crew and ground handling staff in these sensitive medical evacuation missions.

Extensive and meticulous safety arrangements are made in accordance with government guidelines.

542 “Shramik Special” trains till Monday morning across the country transported 6.48 lakh passengers

Subsequent to the Ministry of Home Affairs order regarding the movement of migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students, and other persons stranded at different places by special trains, Indian Railways had decided to operate “Shramik Special” trains.

As of 12th May 2020, a total of 542 “Shramik Special” trains have been operationalized from various states across the country, in which 448 trains had reached its destination and 94 trains are in transit.

These 448 trains were terminated in various states like Andhra Pradesh (1 Train), Bihar (117 Trains), Chattisgarh (1 Train), Himachal Pradesh (1 Train), Jharkhand (27 Trains), Karnataka (1 Train), Madhya Pradesh (38 Trains), Maharashtra (3 Trains), Odisha (29 Trains), Rajasthan(4 Trains), Tamil Nadu (1 Train), Telangana(2 Trains), Uttar Pradesh (221 Trains), West Bengal(2 Trains).

These trains have ferried migrants to cities like Tiruchchirappalli, Titlagarh, Barauni, Khandwa, Jagannathpur, Khurda Road, Prayagraj, Chhapra, Balia, Gaya, Purnia, Varanasi, Darbhanga, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Jaunpur, Hatia, Basti, Katihar, Danapur, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, etc.

In these Shramik Special Trains, proper screening of passengers is ensured before boarding the train. During the journey, passengers are given free meals and water.