Over 3 mn Indians returned from abroad under 'Vande Bharat' mission: MEA

Over three million Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the 'Vande Bharat' evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said phase eight of the mission, made operational from November 1, was ongoing.

Under this phase, as on November 19, as many as 763 international flights have been operated from 24 countries reaching 21 airports across India and repatriating an estimated 1,40,000 people, he said.

"This brings the total number of Indians repatriated as of date through different modes of the Vande Bharat Mission to 30.90 lakh," he said.