Indian Navy, Air India On Standby To Evacuate Scores Of Indians From Gulf Nations As COVID-19 Spreads There

The central government has instructed the Indian Navy and national carrier Air India to be on standby with their aircraft and warships to evacuate en masse the Indian nationals resident in Gulf nations in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, reports Livemint.

The development comes as thousands of Indian nationals have been stuck in the Gulf nations despite having expressed their desire to return home, given the suspension of flight operations and other modes of travel. It should be noted that Gulf nations are home to more than 10 million Indians.

The government had roped in the Navy to prepare a detailed plan for conducting the evacuation through the sea-based routes, given a large chunk of Indians in the Gulf nations live in port cities. As per the plan submitted by the Navy, it holds the capability to evacuate 1,500 persons on three of its warships in one go.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) led by Hardeep Singh Puri is said to have expressed confidence on the nation's ability to carry out the mammoth evacuation exercise. In a brief note submitted to the Group of Ministers (GoM), the Ministry had emphasised that the nation has over 500 aircraft and that the aviation industry is capable of the evacuation of Indians from Gulf nations.