Indian Navy ready to ferry Indians stranded in Gulf, says Admiral Karambir Singh

The Central government is planning to carry out operations to evacuate Indian citizens stranded in Gulf countries. Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh on Friday stated that the Navy is ready to evacuate all Indians who are stuck in Gulf. Admiral Singh added that the Navy will proceed with the plans once the Central government approves the plan. 

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Navy set to bring back Indians in Gulf

Speaking at a press conference, he said, "We have a large diaspora in the Gulf. We were informed that we must be ready for evacuation, all of us together will carry out the evacuation. We have readied our ships and will go for the evacuation as soon as we get the go-ahead."

"It does not have to be one trip, it could be more trips. It can be a continuous process depending on the numbers," he added.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria were also present at the press conference. General Rawat said that the Indian armed forces will conduct fly-pasts, light up ships at sea, display military bands and shower flower petals on hospitals on Sunday in a grand display of gratitude to lakhs of "corona warriors" like doctors, paramedics and police personnel. 

"The nation stood together and showed resilience in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. On behalf of the armed forces, we want to thank all the corona warriors — doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, police, home guards, delivery boys, and media," Gen Rawat added.

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Kerala Chief Minister Pinaryi Vijayan had earlier written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over arrangement of special flights to the Gulf to bring back Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) stranded there due to the lockdown. CM Vijayan stated that many Keralites who had gone on visit visas and in search of employment were finding it difficult to continue there without jobs.

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