(Image source from: economictimes.indiatimes.com)

The operations Vande Bharat Mission and Samudra Setu Vision was designed by the Indian Government to fly and sail the stranded Indians in countries back to India during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the world hard. The generation is seeing a first of a kind virus hitting them. The virus which originated in the city of Wuhan in China has taken over the world and in a terrible way. People are unemployed, no shelter, no security, no food and the world economy has taken a vast depreciation. The sudden lockdown has impacted a lot of individuals who re stranded in different countries because of no travel facilities. All the trains, ships, buses, flights had been cancelled. Even after the 3 month lockdown, people are still not able to cope up with it. It has already infected more than 10 million people around the world.

On Wednesday, India’s warship INS Jalashwa reached Tamil Nadu bringing back 687 stranded Indians from Iran. This ship reached the Tuticorin harbor in Tamil Nadu from Bandar Abbas in Iran on 1st July.

These Indians were fishermen from Kanyakumari and other coastal districts of Tamil Nadu. These Fishermen were stuck in Iran due to the lockdown and requested the return to India to the government. India heard their pleas and sent INS Jalashwa, an Indian navy to bring back the fishermen. INS Jalashwa reached the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran on Wednesday, the Indian Navy said.

INS Jalashwa had also repatriated 700 Indian nationals stranded in Maldives and arrived in Tuticorin last month. The bulk of the repatriated persons, 686, hailed from Tamil Nadu while the others belonged to Karnataka, Kerala and Pondicherry, Tuticorin port officials said.

The Indian Navy had launched Operation Samudra Setu on the 8th of May to help and bring back stranded Indian citizens. INS Jalashwa and INS Magar have already evacuated 2,874 personnel from various countries including the Maldives and Sri Lanka to ports of Kochi and Tuticorin of which 198 Indians were brought back from Maldives On June 23 via INS Airavat.

The Indian embassy in Iran starting preparing the lists of citizens who wanted to evacuate from Iran soon after the mission was announced. The members of the Indian Embassy in Iran facilitated their names and had a thorough medical screening.

The Indians were brought back onboard INS Shardul in the first phase.On June 11, INS Shardul had brought back 233 Indians from Iran.

The Navy said that the ships have been specially provisioned for the evacuation operation and the staff onboard who are following the social distancing norms to the very end. Additional medical staff, doctors, hygienists, nutritionists, medical stores, rations, personal protective equipment, face-masks and lifesaving gear is also present on the ships. Not just that some innovative products developed by the Indian Navy to help during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis are also being carried onboard.

After the evacuation the Indian nationals are being handed over to the state authorities when they reach India. And the state government then sends them back after thorough screening of the public to their respective ports.

Operation Samudra Setu is part of the Centre’s initiative to repatriate Indians stranded in foreign countries due to the coronavirus pandemic.

By Deepika Agarwal