New Delhi: The flight from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, carrying 367 people from strife-torn Sudan, landed at the Delhi International Airport on Wednesday night.
Among the passengers, 19 were Malayalis. As informed earlier by K V Thomas, special representative of the Kerala Government in Delhi, all 19 of them will be provided with food and accommodation at Kerala House.
They will be safely brought back to Kerala at the expense of the state government.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, in a tweet posted earlier today, said: "Happy to see off 360 Indians at Jeddah Airport in a flight bound for New Delhi. Under Operation Kaveri, the government is working relentlessly to evacuate Indian nationals from Sudan and bring them home safely."
On Wednesday morning, an IAF aircraft carrying the third batch comprising 135 Indians from Port Sudan arrived in Jeddha. Muraleedharan is coordinating the rescue operations by camping in Jeddah. India launched the mission 'Operation Kaveri' on Monday.
India has set up a control room in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah to facilitate the evacuation of Indians from Sudan.
Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group for the last 12 days that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.
India stepped up its efforts to evacuate the Indians from Sudan as a 72-hour truce was agreed to between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following intense negotiations.
States announce steps to assist evacuees from Sudan
Several states have opened help desks and announced assistance like free travel and lodging for Indians evacuated from strife-torn Sudan once they arrive in the country.
Kerala
The Kerala government said it would make necessary arrangements to bring Malayalees evacuated from Sudan by the Centre to the state.
A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan decided that Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) department would assist evacuees at various airports, according to the chief minister's office.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday opened a help desk at the resident commissioner office in Delhi for people from the state trapped in Sudan, a senior official said in Lucknow.
Those coming from Sudan can contact Neeraj Singh, assistant review officer on 8920808414 or Ashish Kumar, protocol assistant on 9313434088 or Whatsapp them about their problems," an order issued by Additional Resident Commissioner, New Delhi, Saumya Srivastava said.
Rajasthan
The Rajasthan government has decided to bear the transportation expense of all migrants from the state after they land in Delhi.
The government will also arrange for boarding and lodging for the returnees, officials said
Chief Resident Commissioner, Bikaner House, Shubra Singh urged all those affected from Rajasthan to furnish details to state authorities.
Dhiraj Srivastava who is the Commissioner of Rajasthan Foundation - a government organisation that works to strengthen relationships between the state and non-Rajasthani residents - said the state government has decided to assist the returnees.
"It will make sure that all the returnees from Sudan reach their families in Rajasthan free of cost from Delhi irrespective of whether they are travelling by flight, bus or any other form of transport, Srivastava said in a statement.
Madhya Pradesh
The Madhya Pradesh government has started a helpline to assist people from the state as well as other parts of the country who are stranded in strife-torn Sudan.
Those stranded in Sudan and are keen to come back to MP or other states can contact the helpline at 91-755-2555582 and share their details, the official said. The state government will coordinate with the Centre to facilitate their evacuation, he said.
The government has appointed the state's home secretary Gaurav Rajput as the nodal officer for the purpose.
Besides, relatives of Madhya Pradesh residents stuck in Sudan can also contact the CM Helpline 181 to register details about their near and dear ones for getting assistance, the official said.
According to the official, the information can also be registered on the CM Helpline Portal: http://www.cmhelpline.mp.gov.in.
Two military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) evacuated over 250 Indians from Sudan after a naval ship rescued another 278 citizens from the strife-torn country.
The total number of Indians evacuated so far from Sudan stands at around 530, according to official data.
The first batch of 278 Indians was evacuated by Indian Navy's frontline ship INS Sumedha on Tuesday.
Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the MEA and the Indian embassy in Sudan have been in regular touch with the UN, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and the US among others.
At a high-level meeting on Friday last, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued directions for the preparation of contingency plans to evacuate Indians from Sudan.
(With PTI inputs)
