Lok Sabha Question No. 234 (STARRED), answered on 2021-08-04
Subject: Indian Citizens Stranded Abroad
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Hibi Eden

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.234 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2021

## INDIAN CITIZENS STRANDED ABROAD

## *234. SHRI HIBI EDEN:

## Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government conducted International flight operations from various foreign countries to India during the Covid pandemic era, free of cost and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether   the   existing   international   flights   to   India   are   with   any concession for the persons who lost their jobs, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) the   number   of   petitions   received   from   Indian   citizens   stranded abroad,   month-wise   and   country-wise   starting   from   March   2020 including the details of the States to which they belong; and
- (d) whether the Government has arranged flights from foreign countries for   Indian   citizens   stranded   abroad   and   if   so,   the   details   of   the countries   and   the   number   of   flights,   number   of   persons   who travelled free of cost and the number who paid with a special focus on NRIs who have lost their jobs in Middle East as a result of Covid -19 pandemic?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (DR. SUBRAHMANYAM JAISHANKAR)

- (a) to (d) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA   STARRED   QUESTION   NO. *234 REGARDING   ' INDIAN CITIZENS   STRANDED   ABROAD'   TO   BE   ANSWERED   ON 04.08.2021.

(a) During   the   initial   phases   of   the   pandemic,   several   flights   were operated by the Government of India, free of cost, for the evacuation of Indians stranded in China, Italy and Iran.

Three special flights on January 31, February 1 and February 26, 2020 were operated to evacuate 766 persons, which included 723 Indian nationals and 43 foreign nationals from the city of Wuhan as well as other cities of Hubei Province in China.

From Iran, 58 stranded  Indian nationals  were   repatriated   on   10 March 2020 by Indian Air Force's C17 Globemaster.

From Italy, two Air India special flights were arranged to evacuate 411   Indian   nationals,   mostly   comprising   of   students,   elderly   and medically ill from Milan and Rome in March 2020.

(b) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, normal international travel services remain suspended.   International air travel to and from India is taking place through   special   arrangements,   including   air   bubbles   and   the   Vande   Bharat Mission, which are commercial in nature. Our Missions arrange for the welfare of   Indian   nationals,   where   required,   including   through   Indian   community associations.   In   some   cases,   arrangements   are   also   made   for   flight   tickets, boarding   and   lodging   and   emergency   medical   assistance   under   the   Indian Community Welfare Fund.

(c) to (d) A large number of requests were received by Indians nationals abroad for repatriation to India. Government of India commenced operations under the Vande Bharat Mission on May 7, 2020 to facilitate return of stranded Indian nationals abroad in a phased manner. The Vande Bharat Mission is the largest   and   most   complex   exercise   ever   undertaken   by   the   government   for repatriation of its nationals stranded overseas. As on 30 April'21, nearly 60 lakh people have returned under the Vande Bharat Mission, as per the information available with this Ministry. The details are at Annexure-I. The state and country wise information, as available with this Ministry is at Annexure-II.

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## Details of Arrivals under the Vande Bharat Mission

| Service                    |   Number of flights/ships |   Number of passengers |
|----------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------|
| AIR INDIA and AIR INDIAEXP |                     12076 |                1879968 |
| DEPORTEE                   |                        17 |                   2591 |
| AMNESTY                    |                        56 |                   7344 |
| CHARTERED                  |                     16844 |                3692216 |
| OTHER FOREIGN CARRIERS     |                        33 |                   4007 |
| NAVAL SHIPS                |                         8 |                   3987 |
| LAND BORDER CROSSINGS      |                         0 |                 502151 |
| TOTAL                      |                     29034 |                6092264 |

## Annexure-I

## Details of Arrivals under Vande Bharat Mission as on 30 April 2021

## Total number repatriated: 60,92,264

Of which via land: 5,021,51; Ship: 3987

## State wise number of Arrivals as on 30.04.2021

| STATE WISE NUMBER OFREPATRIATED INDIANS TILL   | STATE WISE NUMBER OFREPATRIATED INDIANS TILL   |
|------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| STATE                                          | NO. OFREPATRIATED INDIANS                      |
| A&NISLANDS                                     | 45                                             |
| ANDHRAPRADESH                                  | 43758                                          |
| ARUNACHALPRADESH                               | 41                                             |
| ASSAM                                          | 1005                                           |
| BIHAR                                          | 34660                                          |
| CHANDIGARH                                     | 5937                                           |
| CHHATTISGARH                                   | 878                                            |
| D &NHAVELI                                     | 40                                             |
| DAMANANDDIU                                    | 132                                            |
| DELHI                                          | 1335919                                        |
| GOA                                            | 27627                                          |
| GUJARAT                                        | 139937                                         |
| HARYANA                                        | 6423                                           |
| HIMACHALPRADESH                                | 1570                                           |
| JAMMUAND KASHMIR                               | 5162                                           |
| JHARKHAND                                      | 2249                                           |
| KARNATAKA                                      | 366451                                         |
| KERALA                                         | 1410275                                        |
| LADAKH                                         | 486                                            |
| LAKSHADWEEP                                    | 866                                            |
| MADHYAPRADESH                                  | 3329                                           |
| MAHARASHTRA                                    | 589222                                         |
| MANIPUR                                        | 393                                            |
| MEGHALAYA                                      | 87                                             |
| MIZORAM                                        | 126                                            |
| NAGALAND                                       | 81                                             |
| ODISHA                                         | 10717                                          |
| PUDUCHERRY                                     | 1085                                           |
| PUNJAB                                         | 116222                                         |
| RAJASTHAN                                      | 98691                                          |
| SIKKIM                                         | 90                                             |
| TAMILNADU                                      | 564015                                         |
| TELANGANA                                      | 365249                                         |
| TRIPURA                                        | 545                                            |
| UTTAR PRADESH                                  | 367286                                         |
| UTTARANCHAL                                    | 2877                                           |
| WEST BENGAL                                    | 89955                                          |

## Country wise number of Arrivals as on 30.04.2021

| COUNTRYWISE NUMBER OFARRIVALS TILL 30.04.2021   | COUNTRYWISE NUMBER OFARRIVALS TILL 30.04.2021   |
|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| COUNTRY                                         | NUMBER                                          |
| AFGHANISTAN                                     | 35869                                           |
| ALGERIA                                         | 1338                                            |
| ANGOLA                                          | 770                                             |
| ARMENIA                                         | 722                                             |
| AUSTRALIA                                       | 12903                                           |
| AUSTRIA                                         | 4                                               |
| AZERBAIJAN                                      | 186                                             |
| BAHRAIN                                         | 78128                                           |
| BANGLADESH                                      | 62499                                           |
| BARBADOS                                        | 115                                             |
| BELARUS                                         | 232                                             |
| BELGIUM                                         | 296                                             |
| BHUTAN                                          | 3186                                            |
| BRAZIL                                          | 510                                             |
| BRUNEI                                          | 693                                             |
| BULGARIA                                        | 698                                             |
| CAMBODIA                                        | 596                                             |
| CANADA                                          | 96900                                           |
| CHINA                                           | 1367                                            |
| CROATIA                                         | 3                                               |
| DENMARK                                         | 55                                              |
| DJIBOUTI                                        | 326                                             |
| EGYPT                                           | 1892                                            |
| ESTONIA                                         | 6                                               |
| ETHIOPIA                                        | 17908                                           |
| FIJI                                            | 5                                               |
| FINLAND                                         | 238                                             |
| FRANCE                                          | 72492                                           |
| GEORGIA                                         | 4293                                            |
| GERMANY                                         | 99926                                           |
| GHANA                                           | 302                                             |
| GREECE                                          | 164                                             |
| HONG KONG                                       | 3306                                            |
| HUNGARY                                         | 9                                               |
| INDONESIA                                       | 5384                                            |
| IRAN                                            | 6935                                            |
| IRAQ                                            | 15072                                           |
| IRELAND                                         | 485                                             |
| ISRAEL                                          | 2036                                            |
| ITALY                                           | 14892                                           |
| JAPAN                                           | 14575                                           |
| JORDAN KAZAKHSTAN                               | 838 3965                                        |
| KENYA                                           | 15281                                           |

| KUWAIT               | 226777     |
|----------------------|------------|
| KYRGYZSTAN           | 10303      |
| LAOS                 | 427        |
| LATVIA               | 5          |
| LEBANON              | 1122       |
| MADAGASCAR           | 84         |
| MALAYSIA             | 52767      |
| MALDIVES             | 122161     |
| MALI                 | 237        |
| MALTA                | 256        |
| MAURITIUS            | 2647       |
| MEXICO               | 228        |
| MOLDOVA              | 243        |
| MONGOLIA             | 80         |
| MOROCCO              | 99         |
| MYANMAR              | 3265       |
| NEPAL                | 26900      |
| NETHERLANDS          | 28341      |
| NEWZEALAND           | 1897       |
| NIGERIA              | 6501       |
| NORWAY               | 267        |
| OMAN                 | 329139     |
| OTHERS               | 21611      |
| PAKISTAN             | 683        |
| PHILIPPINES          | 8484       |
| POLAND               | 342        |
| PORTUGAL QATAR       | 54         |
|                      | 367078     |
| ROMANIA RUSSIA       | 8 15115    |
| RWANDA               | 4697       |
|                      | 479103     |
| SAUDIARABIA          |            |
| SCOTLAND             | 38         |
| SEYCHELLES SINGAPORE | 2826       |
| SOUTHAFRICA          | 89687 1161 |
| SOUTH KOREA          | 5248       |
| SPAIN                | 1117       |
| SRI LANKA            | 23350      |
| SUDAN                | 125        |
| SWEDEN               | 1270       |
| SWITZERLAND          | 33         |
| SYRIA                | 157        |
| TAIWAN               | 144        |
|                      | 2814       |
| TAJIKISTAN           |            |
| TANZANIA             | 9436       |
| TUNISIA              |            |
|                      | 25         |
| TURKEY TURKMENISTAN  | 3081 234   |
| UKRAINE              | 9062       |

| UNITEDARAB EMIRATES     |   2544288 |
|-------------------------|-----------|
| UNITED KINGDOM          |    197730 |
| UNITED STATES OFAMERICA |    397542 |
| UZBEKISTAN              |      4777 |
| VIETNAM                 |      1966 |
| YEMEN                   |      1311 |
| ZIMBABWE                |         5 |
| TOTAL                   |   5593351 |

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