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14,000 from Punjab, Haryana & J&K stuck on foreign shores
How many of them would actually want to come back will be determined once MEA begins the process of facilitating their return
Nearly 14,000 persons, including students and tourists from Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, are stranded abroad due to Covid-19 situation and many may have to be brought back by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) from the foreign shores, as per an estimation done by the central government.
In addition to flights, the central government is also planning to use Indian Navy vessels for the stranded persons’ repatriation.
The matter was deliberated at length in a meeting held by the Union cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba with the state governments on Sunday.
As per MEA’s conservative estimates, there are about 8,700 persons from Punjab, 3,600 from Haryana and 1,000 from J&K and Ladakh who are stuck in about 20 countries across the globe. “Most of them are tourists and students,’’ said an official.
MEA statistics show that of the stranded Haryana residents, over 200 are in Philippines, 130 in the US and around 30 in Kuwait.
A majority of Punjab residents are stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Canada, Australia, Ukraine, Russia, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Qatar, United Kingdom, Mauritius, Italy, United States, Malaysia, Philippines, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Spain, as per the information shared by the Centre.
“How many of these persons actually want to come back will be determined only when the MEA begins the process to facilitate their return. Many of them may not want to come back. An MEA web portal will be put in place by Monday to start registration of the Indian citizens stranded abroad,’’ said an official.
The Haryana government has also asked the deputy commissioners to collect information of stranded residents from their respective districts and convey it to the home department.
WHO WILL BE A PRIORITY RETURNEE
Officials said that MEA will prioritise the return of stranded Indians based on their compulsion to come back. “Those with Covid-free certificates would be given priority,’’ said an official.
The central government has indicated that those facing deportation by foreign governments, pregnant women, elderly persons, ones with medical emergencies or seeking treatment for terminal illness, migrant workers who have been laid off, non-permanent residents/ short-term visa holders faced with expiry, tourists stranded abroad, those required to return due to death of family member, students whose educational institutes or hostels are closed will get priority for return.
SOPS FOR STRANDED PERSONS
The returnees will bear the cost of air travel and would undergo mandatory quarantine as per the standard operating protocol developed by the Union health ministry. MEA additional secretary (Indo-Pacific) Neena Malhotra has been designated as the coordinator for bringing back Haryana residents while additional secretary Virander Paul is the coordinating officer for Punjab. Joint Secretary Yogeshwar Sangwan is the coordinator for J&K and Ladakh.
The Haryana government on Sunday deployed additional chief secretary (home) Vijai Vardhan and IPS officer Haneef Qureshi to coordinate with the MEA for the safe return of Haryana residents.
