High Commission of India
Kuala Lumpur
Press Release
Vande Bharat Mission, an unprecedented exercise being carried out by the Government of India in close coordination with various countries and state governments in India to assist Indian nationals stranded in different parts of the world, due to travel restrictions caused by COVID-19, to return to India.
- Malaysia is one of the select countries identified by the Government of India for inclusion in Phase 1 of Vande Bharat Mission. Indians from twelve countries including, US, UK, Singapore, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Maldives and Bangladesh etc. are being repatriated in the Phase 1.
- Under Vande Bharat Mission, non-scheduled commercial flights and Indian Navy ships are bringing back Indians stranded overseas to India, in a phased manner. The returnees would be required to undergo universal institutional quarantine for 14 days in paid quarantine centres.
- Around 190,000 Indians around the world have registered with Indian Embassies/High Commissions. This would perhaps be the largest and most complex such exercise ever undertaken by the Government. A total of 64 flights planned for the first week from 7 May are expected to bring an estimated 15,000 passengers to India in the first week from 7-15 May.
- There are a few thousand Indian nationals stranded in Malaysia. Given large number of Indians in Malaysia, priority has been given to people in distress including migrant workers/laborer’s who have been laid off, short term visas holders faced with expiry of visas, persons with medical emergency, chronic illness, pregnant women/elderly, those required to return to India due to death of close family members, students.
- The first flight from Malaysia under Vande Bharat Mission is the Air India Express flight (IX 0681) KL to Trichy. It departed from KLIA at 2020 hrs on 9 May, carrying 177 Indians with compelling reasons to return at the earliest, which inter-alia included 60 elderly persons, 4 persons with medical emergency; 14 pregnant women; 8 children and 2 infants.
- The Malaysian Government and its leadership are extending whole hearted support to the Vande Bharat Mission. MIC Vice President Dato’ C Sivarraajh joined High Commissioner Mridul Kumar at the airport in seeing off their Indian brothers and sisters of the first flight of Vande Bharat Mission.
- High Commissioner Mridul Kumar thanked the Malaysian leadership, including Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Foreign Minister Dato Seri Hishamuddin Hussein for the support and cooperation from the Malaysian government in facilitating the operation of the non-scheduled commercial flight from India. The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, Airport Authorities, Police and Immigration Department, and several NGOs are also providing all timely cooperation in these efforts.
- Indian Ministries of Civil Aviation, Home Affairs and Health & Family Welfare are working in close coordination with Ministry of External Affairs to make this a successful Mission.
- There are flights scheduled for Kochi and Chennai on 10 and 11 May. Other non-scheduled commercial flights from Malaysia are being planned in the coming days, which will assist other stranded Indians in Malaysia to return home.
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9 May 2020
