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As many as 17.22 lakh Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the ''Vande Bharat'' evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that under the phase seven of the mission, operational since October 1, 873 international flights have been scheduled from 25 countries to be operated during the course of October 2020.
These include flights from among the 14 countries with which India has a bilateral 'air bubble' arrangement in place, he said at an online media briefing.
The air bubble arrangement has been working satisfactorily adding to the capacity, he added.
Srivastava said as on October 7, 17.22 lakh Indians have been repatriated through different modes of the Vande Bharat Mission.
The flights in phase seven include Air India and Air India Express flights, private and foreign carriers, chartered flights, naval ships and land border crossings, he said.
These flights will reach 24 airports across India, repatriating an estimated 1.7 lakh people. As on 7 October, 210 flights have already been operated from 18 countries, Srivastava said.
(PTI)
Maharashtra reports 13,395 new Covid-19 cases, 358 deaths and 15,575 discharges today. Total cases in the state rise to 14,93,884, including 39,430 deaths and 11,96,441 discharges. Active cases stand at 2,41,986: State Health Department