Over 650,000 Indians evacuated from abroad amid Covid-19 pandemic: Centre

More than 6,50,000 Indians stranded abroad due to coronavirus pandemic have been evacuated, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday.

Taking to Twitter, 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 pandemic.

"Govt is making all efforts to facilitate the evacuation of our citizens who are stranded abroad & those who want to fly out. We have already brought back more than 650K citizens through various means & have flown out more than 80K. VBM plays a key role in this endeavour," Puri tweeted.

"Situation around the world is continuously evolving & so are international civil aviation operations. VBM 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 & 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.