Hyderabad: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced on Friday that the state government will bear all the expenses related to the return of students from the state stranded in Ukraine, which is facing a Russian invasion since February 24.
According to an official release on Friday, 916 students and emigrants from Tamil Nadu stranded in the eastern European country have so far contacted the officials appointed by the government at district and state levels besides in New Delhi, regarding evacuation.
"Under these circumstances, chief minister M K Stalin has announced that the Tamil Nadu government will bear all the travel expenses related to the Tamil Nadu students' return to the country," the release said.
The release further said Jacintha Lazarus, director of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils, could be contacted for this purpose. The state government's announcement comes a day after Stalin urged the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to operate special Vande Bharat mission flights to evacuate Tamil Nadu students and emigrants, numbering around 5,000, from Ukraine which is facing a military offensive from Russia. Most students are studying professional courses in that country.
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Likewise, Odisha and Telangana governments have announced their intentions to take care of the expenses related to the return of students from the respective states stranded in Ukraine.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today has announced that the State government will bear the expenses for bringing back students and workers of Odisha stranded in Ukraine. CM also directed that Development Commissioner-cum-Special Relief Commissioner P K Jena coordinate the overall issue of bringing back citizens from Ukraine.
Similarly, Telangana Minister KTR announced the State's intentions to bear full travel expenses of state's students stranded in Ukraine in a tweet as he asked for External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to bring back students trapped in Ukraine.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur while speaking at the Legislature expressed anxiety over the trapped students in Ukraine from the state in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. "The matter is very serious and we are worried about it," said CM Jairam Thakur.
We have been told that children stuck in the Russia and Ukraine wars are facing major problems there. We have searched the whereabouts of at least 60 students through the CM's Helpline, said Himachal Chief Minister, adding, "I also appealed to those whose families are trapped in Ukraine to inform us about their locations as well as other details on our Helpline so that it would help us to put forward the matter before the Union government."
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday morning said that the Indian government was working to bring back Indian students stranded in war-torn Ukraine through land routes. While interacting with reporters, CM Bommai stated that he had spoken to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar this morning in detail about the crisis. "Indian government is initiating all possible measures for the evacuation of students from Ukraine. Russian language-speaking diplomats are being sent to Ukraine. Options are being explored for bringing back Indian students from Ukraine through land movement since airlifting is impossible currently. The diplomatic channels are being opened in this regard. The possibility of taking out students from the west direction in Ukraine is being thought about," he explained.
