Over 8.78 lakh Indians have returned from abroad under Vande Bharat Mission: MEA

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Over 8.78 lakh Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the "Vande Bharat" evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

Under the Phase 4 of the Vande Bharat Mission, a total of 1,083 flights have been scheduled so far, including 849 international flights and 234 feeder flights, MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at a media briefing.

"These flights are operated by the Air India Group, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir from 29 countries to 31 airports in India," he said.

"As we begin dovetailing phase 4 into phase 5, (a total of) 8,78,921 Indian nationals have returned as on July 29, 2020. (A total of) 1,07,452 Indians have returned from Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Pakistan and Bangladesh by land borders," he said.

The phase 5 of the Vande Bharat Mission will start from August 1, he said.

The MEA spokesperson said a total of 792 flights (692 international and 100 domestic feeders) have been scheduled to repatriate Indians from 23 countries.

The countries include Gulf countries, USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Israel, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, he added.

"The flights would cater to 21 different airports across India and repatriate an estimated 1,30,000 Indians stranded abroad," he said.