India repatriating stranded nationals, first flight from Bangladesh departed today

 As part of its biggest ever repatriation exercise dubbed as "Vande Bharat Mission", India has begun repatriating citizens who were stranded globally -- including Bangladesh -- due to lockdown imposed to check the spread of coronavirus infection.

The first batch of 170 Indian nationals left for India from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport today morning. The first flight of Air India -- one of seven in the first phase -- to Srinagar carried stranded students from various medical colleges in Dhaka, said the Indian High Commission in a statement.

Other flights will carry Indian nationals to Delhi (May 9 and 11), Mumbai (May 10) and Chennai (May 14) in a span of a week, with each flight carrying approximately 170 passengers. Others will also be evacuated in the next phases.

Indian High Commissioner Riva Ganguly Das was present at the airport to see-off the first batch of Indians leaving Bangladesh.

Wishing the students a safe journey back home, she reiterated India's commitment to the welfare of its citizens abroad. The High Commissioner said that she was particularly pleased that the young students would be able to go home before Eid.

Riva Ganguly advised the students to follow the health protocols after reaching India. The students thanked the High Commission for its efforts towards evacuating them.

Vande Bharat Mission is a mammoth logistical exercise for evacuating Indian nationals who had travelled to different countries before the lockdown, on various purposes such as employment, studies/internships, tourism, business, etc. Apart from the above cases, other Indian Nationals who need to visit India in medical emergencies or death of a family member will also be accomodated.

The exercise involves an integrated approach including planning, coordination and implementation between the Indian ministries of civil aviation, home affairs, health, defence, external affairs and the state governments, the statement said.