Chairman of the State Level Taskforce Committee established to ensure the safe return of the students from Andhra Pradesh stranded in war-hit Ukraine M. T. Krishna Babu on Saturday said evacuation of the students had been expedited and a large number of them reached the safe zone now.
At a press conference, Mr. Krishna Babu said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was hopeful that the a majority of the evacuation process would be completed by March 9.
As on date, 363 students from Andhra Pradesh had been received from different airports and provided with facilities to reach their homes by the local government officials.
Besides the details of the 770 students available in the data base of the State RTGS, there could be an additional 100-150 students who had not come in contact so far for some reason.
“We have launched a massive campaign in the last 10 days, engaging the village and ward secretariat employees to gather information of students pursuing their higher studies in Ukraine,” Mr. Krishna Babu said.
Government Special Officer (International Cooperation) Gitesh Sharma said the situation was very complex and “we are looking into only verified information.”
Informing that the situation in Sumy was worrying, he said the good news was that some humanitarian corridor was being created in Kharkiv, from where almost 298 students were likely to be evacuated to safety.
Mr. Sharma said Andhra Pradesh was the first State to position its representatives in the four bordering countries to ensure effective operation of the evacuation.
More flights
Ahmed Babu, CEO, RTGS, said the evacuation process had been speeded up, and as many as 29 flights were scheduled to arrive with students between March 6 and 10. Of the 1,100 students who arrived today, 80 were from Andhra Pradesh, he said.
He said, as per the RTGS data, six students from the State were trapped in “most conflict-prone” Sumy. “Once the ceasefire comes into effect, they will be moved out of the place,” he said.
With the support of the Centre and the advisories from various Embassies, the State government had been communicating with the student groups and guiding them with the latest information, and it was also in contact with the Telugu associations, business professionals, and student groups for immediate help. The government officials had visited the households of 586 students to instill confidence in their parents.
The AP Bhavan in New Delhi established special desks to receive the students in Delhi and Mumbai airports, and had been providing them food, accommodation and flight tickets for their onward journey to their homes.
The government had also appointed Giridhar Armane as Nodal Secretary for the State for effective cooperation.
Helpline
People of Andhra Pradesh who are in Ukraine can call the helpline number 0863-2340678, and message in the following WhatsApp number: +91-8500027678, website: https://www/apnrts.ap.gov.in/
