128 Lakh Passengers Travelled Under Vande Bharat Mission Till July 24: Govt Tells Parliament

Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, General (Retd.) V.K. Singh, said the Vande Bharat Mission commenced on May 7, 2020, and has continued ever since.

(File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: Around 128 lakh passengers have travelled under the Vande Bharat Mission till 24 July, 2021, the Central government informed on Wednesday.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, General (Retd.) V.K. Singh, said the Vande Bharat Mission commenced on May 7, 2020, and has continued ever since.

“Till 24.07.2021, more than 88,000 inbound flights have been operated and over 71 lakh passengers have returned to India from more than 100 countries,” he added in a written reply to Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sasmit Patra in the Rajya Sabha.

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General (Red.) Singh said more than 87,600 outbound flights have been operated and over 57 lakh passengers have travelled from India to foreign countries in the same period.

“The flights under the Vande Bharat Mission are operated under strict compliance of the health related protocols laid down by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the procedures laid down by the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” he added.

General (Red.) Singh further said the applicable guidelines/ instructions of the foreign country to/from which the flights are being operated are also adhered to in addition.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government started Vande Bharat Mission - one of the largest initiatives to repatriate nationals back to India - on May 7, 2020.

Under this mission, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs and the state governments for bringing Indians back to their homeland.