Coronavirus lockdown | Nod for return of stranded Indians
The HinduThe government has decided to allow hundreds of thousands of Indians stranded in different parts of the world to return home in a “phased manner” beginning May 7, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Monday. In the first phase, “distressed citizens” will be brought back on commercial aircraft and naval ships, according to a list prepared by the respective embassies, strictly on “payment-basis”, the government added. Sources told The Hindu that in the first phase from May 7- 14, the government would allow more than 60 “non-scheduled, commercial” flights to operate from about 12 countries to India to bring back 15,000 citizens. COVID-19 | Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India While the full estimate of Indians needing to return home could cross ten lakhs, with more than two lakhs having registered to return from the UAE alone, officials said their return would be “prioritised and staggered”.