LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.540
TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.09.2020
TAMILS STRANDED IN GULF
540. SHRI K. NAVASKANI:
Will the Minister of External Affairs be pleased to state:
(a) whether many Indians including a large number of Tamils are stranded in Gulf and East Asian countries due to inordinate delay in bringing them back home;
(b) if so, the details thereof, country wise; and
(c) the steps taken by the Government to bring them back home timely?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]
(a) to (c) Government launched Vande Bharat Mission on 07 May 2020, immediately after lockdown was eased, for repatriation of Indian citizens stranded in foreign countries on account of Covid-19. To date, 13 lakh Indians have returned home by air, ship and
land routes. This includes 85,348 Tamilians globally. Vande Bharat Mission is currently in Phase 6 including flights by Air India and other Indian airlines and is supplemented with charters and air bubble arrangements with nine countries.
The details of Tamil repatriation from Gulf and East Asia is as follows:
*13,200 Tamils registered for repatriation from Kuwait and currently there is no pendency.
***