13 countries, 64 flights, 3 Navy warships: How govt plans to bring back over 14,000 stranded Indians in phase 1

NEW DELHI: India has embarked on a massive operation involving naval ships and aircraft in a phased manner to bring back some of the hundreds of thousands of nationals stuck abroad due to coronavirus restrictions, the government said.

India banned all incoming international flights in late March as it imposed one of the world’s strictest virus lockdowns, leaving vast numbers of workers and students stranded.

Here is how India plans to bring back its stranded citizens across the world:

The ministry of external affairs has prepared a chart for the evacuation of over 14,000 Indian nationals stranded in 13 foreign countries by 64 flights in week 1 of the operation.

According to the MEA plan that is set to begin from May 7, an approximate 14,800 passengers will be evacuated from 13 different countries. Flights from India will fly to the Philippines, Singapore, Bangladesh, UAE, UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, Phillippines, USA, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait.

The Indian embassy and its consulates in other countries, like the UAE and US had started preparing a list of Indi