Operation Samudra Setu: Indian Navy ship Jalashwa reaches Maldives to bring back Indian citizens

Indian Navy ship Jalashwa entered Male port in the Maldives on Thursday to evacuate Indian citizens stranded in the country as part of India's national effort to repatriate its citizens from abroad. Indian Naval Ships Jalashwa and Magar are part of the first phase of evacuation operations from May 8, 2020. The navy has named its evacuation operation as “Samudra Setu” (Sea Bridge). The navy tweeted a short video of INS Jalashwa entering the Port of Malè, the Maldives on Thursday. India has launched a massive repatriation effort, the largest in history, to evacuate Indian citizens who have been stranded in various countries due to the travel lockdown over COVID-19 pandemic. While 64 flights have been roped in to bring Indians from various countries, the Indian Navy has also been directed to make suitable preparations for their evacuation by sea. The Indian Mission in the Maldives is preparing a list of Indian nationals to be evacuated by Naval ships and will facilitate their embarkation after the requisite medical screening. A total of 1000 persons are planned to be evacuated during the first trip, catering for COVID- related social distancing norms vis-a-vis the carrying capacity and medical facilities available onboard, the navy said in a press release. "The ships have been suitably provisioned for the evacuation operation. The evacuated personnel would be provided with the basic amenities and medical facilities during the sea-passage. In view of the unique challenges associated with COVID-19 stringent protocols have also been stipulated," it added. The evacuated personnel will be disembarked at Kochi in Kerala and will be under the care of state authorities. "This operation is being progressed in close coordination with Ministries of Defence, External Affairs, Home Affairs, Health and various other agencies of the Government of India and state governments," the Indian Navy said. Meanwhile, the first Air India Express flight carrying 177 passengers from Abu Dhabi landed at Kochi airport soon after 10 pm on Thursday.