Indian Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri says over 100,000 citizens have returned to India since May under the Vande Bharat Mission.
Highlights:
- India has brought back over 100,000 of its citizen stranded overseas.
- Vande Bharat Mission is India's repatriation exercise.
- Repatriation from Australia is in its second phase now.
In a tweet, he said, "VBM brings back more than 100K citizens since 6 May. 150K return on domestic & foreign charters, naval ships & through land borders etc."
Vande Bharat Mission is India's repatriation exercise which is in its third phase now.
About 16,000 Indians had returned in the first phase of the mission, considered to be the largest repatriation mission in the world.
"Air India has flown to 52 countries as part of the Mission, and these include many where the carrier has never flown," the minister had said in a statement earlier this week.
Indians stranded in Dhaka arrive at NSCBI Airport in the wake of COVID 19 Coronavirus pandemic in Kolkata, India on May 18, 2020. Source: AAP
The third phase, which started on 10 June, will have Indian national carrier Air India operating over 200 flights.
After the first flight of this phase on Wednesday, another flight took off from Sydney on Friday morning.
"Stranded Indians continue to return home under VBM. Today, second flight AI301 in the latest phase took off from Sydney for Delhi. We wish all passengers a safe journey. Bon Voyage," India consulate in Sydney tweeted.
Another flight from Sydney to Ahmedabad is scheduled for 21 June.
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