Ukraine Crisis: 918 Students Return Home, Says AP Govt. Evacuees To Meet CM On Monday

Among those brought back by the Andhra government, six students hail from Telangana, two from Karnataka and one each from Kerala and Odisha

New Delhi: A total of 918 students, including a few belonging to other states, have been brought back to Andhra Pradesh from trouble-torn Ukraine, government sources said on Sunday.

MT Krishna Babu, Principal Secretary (Department of Transport and Buildings) and chairman of the Special Task Force constituted by the Andhra Pradesh government for evacuation of students from Ukraine, said that 692 students were brought back by the government under Operation Ganga while another 226 returned home on their own.

Only one student said that he was staying back in Ukraine and another reached his relatives’ place in Poland, Babu said in a government release.

Among those brought back by the Andhra government, six students hail from Telangana, two from Karnataka and one each from Kerala and Odisha, and the domicile status of another 96 are not known, he said, adding that some students had left Ukraine before the onset of the conflict after the announcement from the Indian Embassy.

Babu further said that the education consultants have brought a few students back, the data on whom is not available, and a few students who crossed the borders into neighbouring countries have left on their own or moved to their relatives' places in other countries.

“We have deputed our government representatives to countries bordering Ukraine like Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia where a large number of AP-origin students crossed the international border,” news agency PTI quoted the STF chief as saying.

The government representatives have offered support and ensured safe evacuation of the Indian students. After they landed in India, the Andhra government made all arrangements to send them to their homes, Babu added.

Meanwhile, a group of evacuees will meet Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday at the Secretariat to thank the Andhra government for its timely efforts for their safe return.

As per a report by The Hindu, the team scheduled to meet the CM on Monday includes Advisor to Government (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna, Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma, Special Officer, International Affairs Geetesh Sharma, former CEO, RTGS, Ahmed Babu, Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society CEO Dinesh Kumar, president, APNRT MS. Venkat, Special Representative to Europe Ravindra Reddy, Deputy Advisor, NRT Affairs Chandrahasa Reddy and Special Representative of AP at NATA P Ratnakar.