COVID-19: Why isn't govt helping Indian students stranded abroad, asks Congress

Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill on Sunday questioned the Centre why Indian students stranded abroad are not being evacuated, while the government is in "active mode" to help foreign nationals stuck in India.

He said the central government should give a definitive timeline for evacuation of Indian students stuck abroad.

"The BJP government is in 'active mode' for foreign nationals and is in 'sleep mode' for Indian students stranded abroad in this hour of global crisis," Shergill said in a statement.

The Congress leader said as per the Ministry of External Affairs, over 20,000 foreign nationals have been evacuated to different parts of the world by the Government of India on request of various nations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

"When Air India can be deployed to send German nationals and other foreigners back to their home country then why is Air India not being used for children of India? Why is the BJP-Government in India not giving the same 'helpful' treatment to Indian students abroad?" he asked.

Shergill questioned the MEA for "not giving a definitive reply to the worried parents of students stranded abroad with respect to the strategy and timeline of their evacuation".

The Congress leader said there are approximately two lakh Indian students studying in the US.

"When will they come home? When the Government of India can facilitate evacuation of 20000 foreigners then why not the same approach to Indian Students stranded abroad? Shergill asked.

"When the UK and the US are sending special flights to evacuate their citizens stuck in India, then why is the Government of India not evacuating Indian children stranded abroad? he asked.

He said 300 hundred students were stranded at the Heathrow airport as on March 18, 16,000 were studying in the Philippines, a huge number of students were stranded in Australia, Canada, Malaysia and other countries.