Flight carrying over 230 Indians from Singapore lands in Delhi under Vande Bharat Mission

Air India’s first flight that took off from Singapore carrying 234 Indian nationals has landed in Delhi under Vande Bharat Mission. In a tweet, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar welcomed them. He thanked Air India, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Bureau of Immigration, and Delhi Government for cooperation and support. He also appreciated the exemplary effort of Team Indian Embassy led by High Commissioner Jawed Ashraf.

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INS Jalashwa to ferry 750 Indians from the Maldives to Kochi

Around 750 Indian nationals will embark for Kochi from Maldives capital, Male later today as part of the Indian government’s Operation Samudra Setu to evacuate Indians stranded abroad. These people will return by an Indian navy ship INS Jalashwa which reached Male yesterday.  The program operated by the Indian navy entails bringing back around two thousand Indians in two ships during the first phase of evacuation. People have started gathering since morning for necessary emigration and other formalities before they embark upon their journey. 

Indian High Commission in Male has enlisted the support of local volunteers for assistance in making it a smooth process. Preference has been given to medical emergencies, stranded tourists, pregnancy cases and migrant workers suffering job losses. Indian High commissioner to Maldives Sunjay Sudhir had termed the exercise as the biggest of its kind from the neighboring country and thanked the Maldives government for its assistance. Another ship of Indian navy INS Magar is expected to bring back over a thousand Indians from the Maldives to Tuticorin next week.

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More than 350 Indians to return from Dubai on the second day of special flights

More than 350 Indians from Dubai will be flying back home today on the second day of the Special flights meant to repatriate distressed Indians from abroad. Riyadh will be repatriating 155 distressed Indians while Bahrain will also send back more than 150 people. A tweet by the Indian Embassy in Bahrain said that “Preparations are in full swing” for the repatriation of distressed Indians. Priority is being given to workers in distress, elderly people, urgent medical cases, pregnant women, and others stranded in difficult situations.

Strict health protocols will be followed by the Indian Missions in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain before the shortlisted passengers are allowed to board the flight for India.

Only those who are found asymptomatic will be allowed to proceed.

The flight from Riyadh to Kozhikode which was scheduled to take off on 7th May will now be taking off today.

Ambassador Sayeed said that five flights from Saudi Arabia to India have been scheduled over the next week. Each of these flights will carry back 155 passengers. Around 50 per cent of these are expected to be distressed workers, stranded Umrah pilgrims, medical emergencies, pregnant women, and other compelling cases.