RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1357
ANSWERED ON- 11/12/2025
LESSONS FROM VANDE BHARAT MISSION
1357. SHRI SUBHASH BARALA
SHRI NARHARI AMIN
SHRI SUJEET KUMAR
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :-
(a) how the Ministry has integrated lessons from Vande Bharat Mission and recent evacuations into a standing National Crisis Management Protocol for Overseas Indians and how often this is protocol tested and rehearsed;
(b) the policy framework introduced to strengthen political and economic integration of Indian diaspora in major host countries, beyond cultural outreach;
(c) how the Ministry is expanding the role of Indian Cultural Centres to strengthen India's global soft power and promote both traditional knowledge systems and contemporary arts internationally; and
(d) whether Government has created a unified digital platform for real time NRI registration and streamlined OCI issuance to improve service delivery and crisis response?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA)
(a) The Government operated around 3 lakh flights, benefitting over 3.20 crore passengers under the Vande Bharat Mission between May 2020 and March 2022. The Government has also undertaken several other evacuation operations to safely bring back stranded Indian nationals. With a view to swiftly responding to crisis situations faced by overseas Indian nationals, the Ministry has established a dedicated wing named the ‘Rapid Response Cell’ in 2021. The Government closely monitors emerging adverse situations abroad and issues advisories, as required, to caution Indian nationals to avoid unnecessary travel, follow safety guidelines issued by local authorities and remain in touch with Indian Missions. Various communication mechanisms are in place for Indian nationals to reach Indian Missions/Posts, including email, multilingual 24x7 emergency numbers, social media, toll-free helplines & WhatsApp numbers. The Ministry is also developing a digital emergency response solution for stranded Indian nationals to register with basic and real-time information to facilitate planning for their evacuation or movement during crisis.
In the event of adverse and emergent situations abroad, the Government undertakes evacuation operations in coordination with all relevant stakeholders. During such operations, 24x7 control rooms are set up at headquarters and in Missions abroad. The Government provides comprehensive logistical support, including safe shelters, meals, local and cross-border movement and transportation through special vehicles and evacuation flights. MEA maintains constant communication with its counterparts through diplomatic channels to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals, throughout evacuation process.
The Government of India’s evacuation missions are guided by the prevailing situations and are focused on ensuring safety, security and well-being of Indian nationals abroad.
(b) The Government of India remains committed to strengthening its engagement with the Indian diaspora and to nurturing their connect with India, in ways that enhance their welfare and contribute to mutually beneficial linkages. This is pursued through four foundational pillars: Care, Connect, Celebrate, and Contribute. In major countries with sizeable presence of Indian-origin communities, Indian Missions and Posts undertake a range of measures beyond cultural outreach to facilitate stronger economic and community linkages, that include:-
(i) Support for Indian diaspora business and professional organisations, such as India Business Forums and sector-specific business associations, with a view to promoting trade, investment, innovations, and economic opportunities between India and host countries.
(ii) Regular institutional engagement with the relevant authorities of the foreign governments as well as with chambers of commerce and industry bodies, to address issues affecting Indian professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and workers.
(iii) Undertaking outreach to Indian Community leaders and public representatives of Indian origin globally to maintain robust communication channels and to encourage constructive engagement.
(c) The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), an autonomous organization under Ministry of External Affairs, through its 38 Indian Cultural Centres (ICCs) (Annexure-I)
), promotes Indian culture worldwide. ICC has engaged India based Teachers of Indian Culture (TIC), Performing Art Teachers and local residents in foreign countries as Local Resource Persons (LRP) for organizing classes on Yoga Veda Sanskrit and Indian art forms. ICCs also actively promote contemporary Indian art and culture worldwide by organising performances of contemporary Indian music and dance troupes, exhibitions of contemporary Indian art, textiles, crafts, etc. and hosting cultural theme-based activities and ‘Festival of India’ abroad to showcase different facets of contemporary Indian culture.
ICCs work in close partnership with Indian Embassies and Consulates as well as Indian diaspora organisations, local authorities, community associations, universities, schools, etc. to promote both traditional and contemporary Indian culture abroad.
(d) Indian Missions/Posts abroad encourage Indian diaspora members to register with them as well as on the MADAD Portal of this Ministry to ensure effective communication and timely support. The Government is also in the process of launching the Global Pravasi Rishta Portal which is a two-way digital portal to connect the Indian Diaspora with the Government of India for dissemination of important information and to foster a robust database of the Diaspora through voluntary registrations. The Portal would act as a dynamic global registry of diaspora members, their skill sets, educational background and other relevant information pertaining to the Indian diaspora abroad.
Further, a revamped OCI portal has been developed to address existing limitations and enhance user experience. The revamped portal was launched on 19.05.2025 with an up-to-date user interface to make registration of OCI seamless and provide enhanced functionality, improved security, and a user-friendly experience for the existing OCI cardholders and new users.
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