With the evacuation of Indians from war-hit Ukraine beginning, the Kerala Government on Saturday announced arrangements for the smooth onward journey of students to Kerala once they reach Indian cities.
Students who arrive in Mumbai and New Delhi will be provided air tickets by the State Government for the final leg of their journey to Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday.
The Government has made arrangements for obtaining advance information on evacuees hailing from the State. The Resident Commissioner, Kerala, and NORKA officials will ensure smooth travel facilities for Keralites arriving in the country on the evacuation flights.
District Collectors have been directed to receive and provide assistance to the students once they reach Kerala, Mr. Vijayan said.
On Thursday, Mr. Vijayan had said that 2,320 students from Kerala were in Ukraine.
The evacuation, spearheaded by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Kiev, has begun on an encouraging note, a senior NORKA Roots official said. ''The embassy has opened camp offices along the borders of Ukraine's four neighbours and have directed students and all civilians to contact them,'' NORKA Roots resident vice chairman P. Sreeramakrishnan said.
So far, 1,428 people have registered with NORKA Roots via the online mechanism launched on Friday for gathering information on Keralites stranded in Ukraine. The information is passed on to the MEA and the embassy officials, he said.
The Centre has already announced that it will bear the cost of transporting the evacuees to India. ''The Centre and the State governments have intervened to make sure that their return travel is free of any cost,'' Mr. Sreeramakrishnan said.
NORKA's crisis management team is working round-the-clock to do everything possible to ensure the safety and evacuation of the students, he said.
