‘More incoming flights, pvt airlines likely to bring back stranded Indians’

‘More incoming flights, pvt airlines likely to bring back stranded Indians’

09.06.2020

Amid allegations of favouritism and ‘deliberate delay’ in the evacuation of distressed Indians in Covid-struck nations, the ministry of external affairs has been grappling with a growing waiting list of several lakhs of people. In an interview to Jaya Menon and V Ayyappan, minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said the ministry has followed “a stringent and transparent” approach to select people only with “most compelling situations”. On complaints that the Indian Community Welfare Fund with consulates was not being used to take care of air fares for the needy, the minister said it was used by missions to support Indians in distress abroad including for food, accomm o dation, medical emergencies and transfer of mortal remains. Apprehensions expressed by some chief ministers, including Edappadi K Palaniswami, about the influx adding to the growing Covid numbers have delayed the process of consent for flights to land. Excerpts from the interview:

What were the criteria for selecting people for the rescue flights?

We have been advising our people to stay put wherever they are in the best interest of their own health and that of their family members. We also understand that people have compelling reasons to be in India and since we could not resume international travel, we have launched Vande Bharat Mission to offer limited assisted return to India. We have followed a stringent and transparent approach to select people only with the most compelling situations (pregnant women, laid off workers, deportees, amnesty cases, stranded in transit on visit visa, students and people with critical life threatening medical conditions). So far, close to 1,00,000 people have returned to India.

There are allegations of favouritism in shortlisting evacuees. A senior Indian official of the UAE-based NMC Health, which is under scanner for a multi-billion dollar fraud, and his family boarded the first flight from Abu Dhabi on May 7. How did that happen?

It is not appropriate to discuss individual cases. All I can say is that the returnees have been selected on the basis of the criteria as I explained.

In the UAE, more than 3,50,000 Indians have registered to return, of which only 6,000 were repatriated in the first two phases, till May 23. How will it be in the next phases?

Our embassy in Abu Dhabi and consulate in Dubai are constantly in touch with the diaspora to ensure their well-being. In Phase II around 100 flights have been planned from UAE to India. Between Phases I and II, 137 flights have arrived from UAE. Rules regarding chartered flights have also been simplified. More flights from UAE would be added in Phase III. There have been discussions with private airlines to join the mission.

Can the Indian community welfare fund be used to pay for the air fares of those who can’t afford tickets and the seven-day compulsory quarantine?

A decision has been taken that people willing to return would pay for their travel. People travelling on naval ships have also been paying. Our missions have been working closely with community associations to help those in need of travel assistance. As far as quarantine expenditure is concerned, the government has relaxed rules and reduced the expenses by half. Now, instead of 14 days, the institutional quarantine is for seven days. Some state governments have offered publicly funded quarantine facilities to those in need. ICWF has been regularly used by our missions to support Indians in distress abroad including for food, accommodation, medical emergencies and transfer of mortal remains.

Is there a plan to allow foreign airlines to evacuate Indians? Air India may not have enough long-range aircraft to go to the UK and the US where several Indians are stranded.

We are using incoming foreign flights. Seventy-four foreign carriers have been used to bring Indians home from different parts of the world.

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RETURN AT LAST : A flight from Dubai in May was the first international aircraft to land at Chennai post lockdown