Over 1 lakh Indians returned home from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh: MEA

Over one lakh Indians have returned home from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh by land borders as part of the central government's 'Vande Bharat' Mission operationalised to evacuate stranded citizens from foreign countries amid the coronavirus-infused lockdown, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

"As of July 15, 6,87,467 Indian nationals have returned to India; 1,01,014 nationals have returned from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh by land borders," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in a weekly briefing.

On Monday, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri assured that the government is making all efforts to facilitate the evacuation of citizens who are stranded abroad and those who want to fly out.

He said that over 80,000 people have also flown out since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Government is making all efforts to facilitate the evacuation of our citizens who are stranded abroad and those who want to fly out. We have already brought back more than 6,50,000 citizens through various means and have flown out more than 80,000. Vande Bharat Mission plays a key role in this endeavour," Puri said in a tweet.

"Situation around the world is continuously evolving and so are international civil aviation operations. Vande Bharat Mission is being ramped up from time to time. We strive to bring back every Indian or fly out those who want to. I request your understanding and patience. We will cover each one of you," he added.

Vande Bharat Mission is being carried out by the Indian government to evacuate Indians stranded abroad due to coronavirus pandemic.

The first phase of the mission commenced on May 7.

( With inputs from ANI )