Indian Government on its Biggest Evacuation Mission in the World

Challenging times call for bold ideas. The Indian government started the world’s largest evacuation operation on Thursday. India has harnessed commercial jets, military transport planes and naval warships to bring back stranded Indian citizens from around the world. The evacuation operation will continue till next seven days. It is believed that two million Indian citizens are stranded around the world due to coronavirus pandemic.

The first phase of the mission has already been initiated. The three Navy ships left for Maldives and UAE on Tuesday to bring back Indian citizens.In this evacuation, Indian Air Force will have a crucial role to play as it has deployed 30 aircraft for deportation which includes the C-17 Globemaster and the C-130 Super Hercules.

Vande Bharat Mission

The Indian Air Force Mission will be called as Vande Bharat Mission. In the first week, national carrier Air India will operate 64 non-commercial flights to as many as 12 countries covering all major continents around the world, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain, to bring back 15,000 Indians. Every passenger seat will be equipped with two masks, 100 ml sanitizer, a snack box and half a litre of water.

In the first phase of the mission, it is believed that the mission will help close to 1.8 million Indian citizens – far more than the number of citizens who were airlifted from Kuwait in 1990. The Kuwaiti rescue mission had made its place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Air India posted on facebook

Samudra Setu Mission

The Indian Navy Mission will be called as Samudra Setu Mission. As per the plan two ships – INS Jalashwa, INS Magar and INS Shardul are presently headed to Maldives and the Dubai port to begin the evacuation operations for stranded Indians.

INS Jalashwa deployed off Mumbai coast, along with INS Magar, was diverted for the Maldives on Monday night, while INS Shardul was diverted to Dubai to evacuate the expatriates. INS Magar and INS Shardul are Southern Naval Command ships, while INS Jalashwa is from Eastern Naval Command.

The Navy in a statement also mentioned that around 200 evacuated passengers will arrive at Kochi in Kerala and entrusted to the care of state authorities.

The registration of Non-Resident Indians(NRIs) wishing to return home have already begun in the Indian embassies of the respective nations.This operation will be monitored in close coordination with ministries of defence, external affairs, home affairs, health and various other agencies of the government of India and state governments.

This Evacuation is different

This evacuation is a bit different and unheard-off. Those who are willing to come back will have to pay for their journey and all the passengers will be screened. Also, only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board. The passengers after arrival will be kept in 14 days quarantine for safety reasons. Passengers found to be “symptomatic” shall be immediately taken to a medical facility.

Among the 4.27 lakh NRKs registered in the NORKA portal, roughly 1.69 lakh people constitute the most vulnerable sections. This section includes people who have lost their jobs, those released from prisons and awaiting deportation, pregnant women, students who have completed courses and those whose visa has expired. More than 9,900 pregnant women and 61,000 people who have lost their jobs are among those registered.