Kerala govt to pay for domestic airfare of students arriving in Air India flights

On February 26, the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Kerala government will bear the cost of flight tickets for the students arriving in Delhi and Mumbai on evacuation flights arranged by the Union Government from Ukraine which is under attack from Russian forces.

Vijayan said steps have been taken by the state government to collect the details of Keralites reaching the country from Ukraine.

The Kerala Resident Commissioner in Delhi and the NORKA officials will ensure facilities for the smooth travel of students to the state from airports of Delhi and Mumbai, Vijayan said.

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"The state government will provide flight tickets to Kerala for the students arriving at Delhi and Mumbai airports on evacuation flights arranged by the Union Government from Ukraine. The District Collectors have been directed to receive the students arriving at the airports in Kerala and to arrange the necessary facilities," Vijayan said.

The eastern European nation has been under attack since February 24. The Left government had earlier sought the intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure the safety of 2,320 students from Kerala studying in Ukraine.

Television channels have aired numerous visuals of Kerala students in the war-hit nation explaining their plight. Earlier in the day, Air India's first evacuation flight departed from Romanian capital Bucharest for Mumbai with approximately 250 Indian nationals who were stranded there.

Around 20,000 Indians, mainly students, are currently stranded in Ukraine, the officials had said.

With inputs from PTI

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