Bhopal: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh, Vivek Tankha, on Thursday urged the Centre to deploy special Vande Bharat flights to evacuate over 20,000 Indian students stranded in Ukraine in view of the growing border tensions with Russia.
Tankha said that he has written to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, stating that thousands of students from Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are pursuing engineering and medical courses in Ukraine.
In his letter to Jaishankar, the Congress MP mentioned that several families from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are worried about the safety of their children who are studying in Ukraine.
“Many international airlines have suspended their flights to Ukraine capital Kyiv, and the fares of the few airlines that are operating are very high. The government of India should make all efforts to ensure the safe return of its citizens,” Tankha wrote.
“Appeal to Dr S Jaishankar and JM Scindia to facilitate the earliest return of Indian students from Ukraine. Tickets are very expensive. Subsidise or allow one-time free travel. As an MP and lawyer, me and many others can help GOI for short falls in special cases,” Tankha tweeted on Thursday.
Responding to his tweet, Scindia, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh, said, “Sure, will look into it.”
As per reports, at least 25 students from Indore are stuck in Ukraine and their family members have urged the Centre to help them bring them back home safely at the earliest.
“In the last two-three days, about 25 people from Indore have contacted me and informed that their children are stranded in Ukraine. These students want to return to their homes at the earliest,” Lok Sabha MP from Indore, Shankar Lalwani, said on Wednesday.
(IANS)
