"Vande Bharat Mission"- World's Biggest Evacuation Excercise
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Corona virus has outbreaked in the entire world since January, 2020 and the whole world is under lockdown. Presently, There are approx 17.5 Million Indians living in overseas. To break the chain of COVID-19, The government of India had announced the nation wide lockdown on 24th March, 2020, as well, there was a ban imposed on all air flights including national and International. This ban caused many Indian national stranded abroad. The Government of India has decided to bring back all the stranded Indian nationals from overseas under the mission called “Vande Bharat.”
This mission will be the world’s biggest evacuation exercise since Kuwait Airlift 1990. By this repatriation exercise, approx 1.9 Lakh stranded Indians will get help in bringing back home. The government has decided to execute this mission in different phases and on compelling grounds.
In the first Phase, 64 flights will be operating, starting from 7th May to 13th may, 2020, to repatriate Indians from 12 countries like UAE, UK, Qatar, USA, Kuwait, Oman, Bangladesh, and Singapore, etc.
National carriers like “Air India” and its subsidiary “Air India Express” will operate ‘special ferry’ flights from different Indian cities. As per the report on day 1, the first two flights in the first phase landed in Kerala from UAE with 336 Indian nationals and on the second day, students from Bangladesh have been repatriated.
Also, the Indian Air Force has been said to prepare with about 30 aircraft including C-17 Globe-master and C-130J Super Hercules for further operations.
The following list of categories of People will be given Priority:-
- Compelling cases in distress.
- Migrant workers and laborers who have been laid off.
- Those whose short term visa is about to expire
- Pregnant women, Elderly, and Students.
- People with a medical emergency.
- Those who are required to return to India due to the death of a family member