The second plus phase of Vande Bharat Mission to bring home Indian nationals stranded abroad will start today. Around 140 flights from Gulf countries have been added in this phase of the mission.

These flights are expected to fly back more than 23,000 Indians stranded abroad. More destinations may be added in due course in coordination with the State governments. This phase will continue till 8th of June. Maximum number of flights are scheduled from the UAE. A list of 57 flights have been declared as of now from Dubai and another 26 flights from Abu Dhabi.

Eight flights will be operated from the UAE today which will bring back more than 1,300 passengers. 14 flights from Saudi Arabia, 15 from Oman, 10 from Qatar, 12 from Kuwait and five from Bahrain are scheduled in this phase.

A majority of the flights from the Gulf are for Kerala. Other destinations include Jaipur, Gaya, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Srinagar, Goa, Chennai, Madurai, Lucknow, Karnataka, Delhi, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Bengaluru.

Those with compelling reasons will be given priority in sending back. Distressed workers, stranded tourists, pregnant women, stranded students, elderly and cases of medical emergency are being given preference.

Vande Bharat Mission is one of the largest and most complex evacuation exercises by the government to bring home Indian Nationals stranded abroad.