Abhinand NEW DELHI: The Central Government has begun the process of returning Indian nationals stranded abroad as soon as possible. For...
NEW DELHI: The Central Government has begun the process of returning Indian nationals stranded abroad as soon as possible. Foreign Secretary Harshavardhan Shringla has sent a letter to the state chief secretaries by asking about their preparations for the return of expats.
The Center will come to a decision only after considering the preparation of States in this regard. The high-level meeting, chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Goba, will have more decisions.
Only Kerala has taken positive steps in bringing back the diaspora stranded abroad. No other state has made much preparation. Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra are the states with the highest number of expatriates after Kerala.
Of these, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are already facing a severe crisis due to the spread of covid 19. Therefore, they cannot accept the expatriates immediately. As a result, Malayalee expatriates have to wait until other states get ready. Pregnant women, children, the elderly and those who are on a visit visa are the first to arrive.
Millions of Indians will have to be evacuated from the Gulf and Europe once the process is started. Of these, only those who are not infected with coronavirus are brought back. Countries like the UAE and Kuwait have asked respective countries to repatriate their citizens.
At the same time, there are fears that if the returnees fail to meet the restrictions, it could lead to the another spell of spread of coronavirus in India. Therefore, the central and state governments are bound to impose severe restrictions on those who come.
Keywords: Indias. Citizens, Expats, Coronavirus, UAE
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