Over 15 lakh people returned under Vande Bharat mission: Hardeep Singh Puri

Vande Bharat Mission was started in the month of May to repatriate stranded Indians in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Till date, more than 15 lakh people have returned to India under Vande Bharat mission.

New Delhi: Under the Vande Bharat Mission, more than 15 lakh people have returned through various modes including more than 4.5 lakh on flights, said Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, on Saturday.

"International flights continue to facilitate repatriation and outbound travel of stranded citizens under Vande Bharat Mission since 6 May 2020. More than 15 lakh people have returned through various modes including more than 4.5 lakh on flights so far," Puri tweeted.

Puri also shared a photograph that stated that 4,059 Indian nationals returned on September 5.

Earlier, a special Air India flight from Thailand departed for New Delhi on Tuesday, carrying 153 stranded Indians, under the Vande Bharat Mission. The Vande Bharat Mission started in early May to evacuate Indians stranded abroad due to coronavirus restrictions.

READ: Phase 6 of Vande Bharat Mission to begin from September 1: MEA

More than 12,60,000 stranded Indians have been repatriated under the Vande Bharat mission, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). The MoCA had said that between May 6 and August 30, a total of 12,60,118 persons were repatriated under the Vande Bharat mission.

The Vande Bharat Mission started in early May to evacuate Indians stranded abroad due to coronavirus restrictions.

With ANI inputs