Vande Bharat mission brought back over 67.5 lakh people: Hardeep Singh Puri

Mar 21,2021

The government's Vande Bharat mission (VBM) to repatriate stranded Indians from foreign countries during the pandemic has brought back over 67.5 lakh people so far, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Sunday.

In a tweet, Puri said 67.5 lakh people have been brought back and the numbers continue to grow.

“It is not just a mission that brought back stranded & distressed citizens from around the world, but Vande Bharat has been a Mission of hope & happiness; of letting people know that they will not be left behind even in the most testing times," he said.

India started the Vande Bharat Mission from 7 May 2020 to bring back its stranded citizens from abroad.

Initially, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express carried out these operations before private airlines were allowed to take part.

Besides, aerial evacuation, naval ships were also used to bring back Indian citizens.