As many as 23,475 Indians have returned to India in the first 15 days of the Vande Bharat Misson that has been launched to bring back Indian nationals stranded in foreign lands. India is considering launching the third phase of the Mission next month.
Those who have returned so far include 4,883 workers, 4,196 students, and 3,087 professionals among others.
So far, 2,59,001 people have registered to return from 98 countries.
Around 28 percent of those who have registered to return are workers, 25 percent are students, 14.5 percent are professionals and 7.6 percent are short-term visa holders. In addition, there are other categories of people including fishermen, deportees and those granted amnesty.
“In terms of numbers, among those with compelling reasons registered to return, 16991 are those facing medical emergencies and 8746 pregnant women & elderly persons,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson said.
In the second phase of Vande Bharat that began on May 16 and will continue till June 13, India is looking to bring back nationals Istanbul, Ho Chi Minh city, and Lagos and increasing flights to the USA and Europe. “We are also looking at developing Frankfurt as a hub,” the MEA spokesperson added.
India is also facilitating travel of Indian nationals as well as foreign nationals on outbound flights under Vande Bharat Mission. Three flights to the UK on May 16, 18 & 20 have already left while two flights have departed to the US on May 18 and 20. There are four more flights scheduled to the US and two to Frankfurt.