As part of “Operation Ganga”, the Government on Wednesday managed to bring back 1,577 stranded Indian nationals by seven evacuation flights from Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, and Poland.
As many as 31 evacuation flights will be operated to neighbouring countries of crisis-hit Ukraine. These will bring back more than 6,300 Indians stranded in the eastern European nation.
A day after an Indian student was killed in shelling in Ukraine, a student from Punjab died due to stroke in Ukraine on Wednesday. He was ailing for some time and was admitted to the hospital there.
Chandan Jindal (22), a medical student in Ukraine, was admitted in Emergency Hospital, Vinnytsia after suffering an Ischemic stroke. He breathed his last earlier in the day. He was studying at Vinnytsia National Pyrogov, Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsia Ukraine.
According to Government officials, there were around 20,000 students/citizens who were stranded in Ukraine. Of them, 4,000 were brought back to India before February 24 and additional 3,552 students were brought back to India since evacuation flights started on February 26. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, nearly 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine borders since the Government advisories were issued.
Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Virendra Kumar, Rajeev Chandrasekhar were among those who received students at the airport on Tuesday.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that six flights under “Operation Ganga” have departed for India in the last 24 hours.
Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted on Wednesday: “We are mounting six flights today in Bucharest, Romania, carrying over 1,200 Indian students back to India.”
Scindia, who is in Bucharest, on Wednesday held a meeting with heads of Indian companies that work in Romania to decentralize evacuation operations for Indians stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive and interacted with the Indian students awaiting their flights at Bucharest airport and assured them of quick departure to the homeland.
“Met & interacted with Indian students awaiting their flights at the Bucharest Airport. Overwhelmed by their grit & concerned by their anxiety amid the tough times. However, assured them of their quick departure from Bucharest. PM Narendra Modi and all of India have got their back!”, said Scindia on Twitter.
The Aviation Minister further tweeted, “Chaired a meeting with Ambassador Rahul Shrivastava and the Indian diaspora -- heads of Indian companies in Romania to decentralize the evacuation operations and map out responsibilities, including assisting with medical emergencies, a 24*7 call center and state-wise data collection.”
MoS Civil Aviation Gen (Retd) VK Singh also interacted with 600 Indian students at Hotel Prezydenckie in Rzeszow, Poland. “If your course isn’t complete...all people I met in Poland said that they’ll take up responsibility for the education of all students who were in Ukraine”, he said.
Meanwhile, as fighting rages in Ukraine, Russia has assured it will ensure the safety and security of Indian citizens in conflict zones. Russian envoy designates Denis Alipov to New Delhi said Russia will investigate the death of an Indian student in shelling on Tuesday.
The envoy also said Russia is working on a “humanitarian corridor” for the safe passage of Indians through the Russia-Ukraine border. The fighting is taking place in eastern and north-eastern parts of Ukraine close to the Russian border.
If the corridor becomes functional, the Indian students can leave badly hit towns like Kharkiv which is about 40 km from the Russian border. There are more than 4,000 Indians including students in Kharkiv.
Naveen Shekarappa, 21, a final year medical student from Karnataka was killed in shelling on Ukraine’s second biggest city Kharkiv on Tuesday. He was hit when he stepped out to buy groceries.