No early return for stranded Indians

Indians stranded abroad will have to remain where they are for the time being

india-fishermen-iran-twitter (File) India has so far repatriated over 35,000 nationals from 48 countries ever since the lockdown began

Indians stranded abroad will have to remain where they are for the time being. The government says that there is no change in its position regarding repatriating nationals during the lockdown. As of now, there is a ban on both domestic and international passenger flights. While India allowed several evacuation flights by other nations to take back their nationals, it does not plan to get back any more stranded Indians home right now. Government sources said that the locals missions will help out with their stay and other logistics in those countries till the status quo changes.

India has so far repatriated over 35,000 nationals from 48 countries ever since the lockdown began. Even now, evacuations flights are being organised by respective nations, and India is facilitating these evacuations, which are not easy as foreign nationals are spread across the country, and reaching the closet airport is a logistical challenge.

Before India went into lockdown, it had run special flights and brought home Indians from the then worst affected places—Wuhan, Iran and Italy. However, there are just too many Indians everywhere in the world—students, businessmen and tourists and workers. In Malaysia, there are around 3,000 Indians, another few thousand in Bangladesh, several thousand in the UK, Canada and US. The UAE alone has around 33 lakh workers from India, comprising a third of the country's population.

The extension of the lockdown beyond April 15 has come as a further disappointment to these people. Desperate to return home, they allege that they have lost faith in the Indian government. The stranded Indians in Malaysia have also alleged that the Indian mission has not come to their aid. One such stranded national in Kuala Lumpur Mandeepp Singh Mokha writes that he was scheduled to return on March 29, but because India closed its skies, the flight did not take off. Subsequently, they were told that sometime in mid-April, a Malindo flight would fly to Chennai, and those who wanted could book a seat for themselves. However, with the lockdown extended, that flight, too, got cancelled and that the airline refused to reimburse the fare.