Vande Bharat Mission: Indians to arrive from Bangladesh, Gulf, UK today

India had on Monday announced it would begin a phased repatriation of its citizens stranded abroad starting May 7

On Day 3 of 'Vande Bharat Mission', flights carrying Indians from the Gulf countries, United Kingdom, Bangladesh and Malaysia will arrive India on Saturday.

Flights carrying Indian nationals arriving today are bound from Dhaka to Delhi (arrival at 3 pm), Kuwait to Hyderabad (arrival at 6.30 pm), Muscat to Cochin (arrival at 8.50 pm) and Sharjah to Lucknow (arrival at 8.50 pm), Kuwait to Cochin (arrival at 9.15 pm), Kuala Lumpur to Trichy (arrival at 9.40 pm), London to Mumbai (arrival at 1.30 am on May 10) and Doha to Cochin (arrival at 1.40 am on May 10).

The flight from Dubai to Chennai arrived earlier today.

India on Monday announced it will begin phased repatriation of its citizens stranded abroad from May 7. The government said that Air India will operate 64 flights from May 7 to May 13 to bring back around 15,000 Indian nationals stranded abroad amid the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

Over 3 lakh people have registered with Indian missions in the Gulf region to be repatriated home, according to official sources. However, not everyone but only "those with compelling grounds to return will be brought back," sources involved in the exercise said.

Those who fit the parameters include people facing deportation, migrant workers who have been laid off, short-term visa holders, people with medical emergencies, pregnant women, elderly persons, a person who has lost a near one, tourists and students whose colleges and hostels are shut.