Bhubaneswar: The government on Thursday appointed IFS officer Rahul Srivastava as State coordinator for Odisha to facilitate return of stranded Indians from abroad under India’s massive repatriation mission named as `Vande Bharat Mission’.
Srivastava, a 1999 batch IFS officer, will coordinate with Odisha Govt for return of stranded persons to the state in view of the Coronavirus pandemic.
As many as 64 flights will repatriate close to 15,000 Indian nationals from 12 countries including UAE, Saudi Arbia, Qatar among others, sources said.
Indian Navy has also sent its two ships, including INS Jalashwa and INS Magar- which are on enroute to Maldives.
According to various estimates, there could be as many as 1.4 crore people who live abroad approximately, Indian Passport holders, of which a certain number would like to come back.