MEA teams to soon coordinate with nations to bring back stranded Indians

New Delhi: The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has formed teams led by additional secretaries and joint secretaries to coordinate with state governments and Indian missions abroad, as the government undertakes the biggest repatriation exercise of Indian nationals from across the world in recent decades.

The appointment of senior diplomats will ensure smoother coordination with states where nationals are returning and will undergo quarantine through various protocols.

As many as 15,000 Indians are expected to return by 64 flights beginning Thursday. As many as 16 diplomats of additional secretary or joint secretary-rank have been put in charge of 18 states where nationals will start returning.

Besides, 10 joint secretary-level officers from headquarters have been made country/region coordinators from where nationals are returning, ET has learnt. P Harish, additional secretary (states & economic diplomacy) in MEA and a Telegu speaker, has been made in-charge of Andhra Pradesh; Neena Malhotra, additional secretary (Indo-Pacific), will be in-charge of Delhi-Haryana; Dinesh Patnaik, additional secretary and DG-ICCR, will be in-charge of Gujarat; Nagma Malik, additional secretary (Africa) will be in-charge of Karnataka; Vikram Doraiswami, additional secretary (international organisations), will be in-charge of Kerala and Suresh Reddy, additional secretary (Europe), will be in-charge of Maharashtra, among others.

Joint secretaries in MEA in-charge of various divisions will be the coordinators for countries and regions. A passenger on a London-Delhi flight will be charged Rs 50,000 and on a Dhaka-Delhi flight Rs 12,000 by Air India for repatriation.

Chicago-Delhi, San Francisco-Delhi and Newark-Mumbai flights will cost Rs 1,00,000 approximately, it has been learnt. Private Indian airlines may join the repatriation effort after May 13.