Andhra govt sets up reception centres for Ukraine evacuees

Amaravati, Feb 26: With India's moves to evacuate stranded Indians from Ukraine gaining pace, the Andhra Pradesh government is putting up facilities to help people from the state on their arrival to the country.

Principal Secretary and State Level Task Force Committee Chairperson M.T. Krishna Babu said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed to set up reception centres at Mumbai and New Delhi airports to receive and assist the students returning from Ukraine and bring them back to their native places.

Speaking to media here on Saturday, Krishna Babu said the state government has created a master list with details of students in Ukraine gathered from various helpline numbers and APNRT data and shared it with Indian Embassy and Ministry of External Affairs.

He said two flights are coming from Bucharest, of which one would land in New Delhi and the other in Mumbai. He added that the Ministry of External Affairs has communicated that 22 Telugu students are being flown back in the two flights but of them three belong to the state.

He said the Mumbai flight will reach by 6 p.m. on Saturday and Delhi flight at 2 a.m. on Sunday. Separate teams have been formed to receive them, Krishna Babu said.

Rama Krishna, Inspector General, Registrations has been assigned to receive students in Mumbai airport and Principal Resident Commissioner Praveen Prakash and Addl. Resident Commissioner Himanshu Kaushik will receive the students at New Delhi.

Arrangements are made for the evacuees' accommodation and travel to their native places free of cost by the state government.

Krishna Babu said they have shared the Ministry of External Affairs' latest advisory to the people in Ukraine and advised to follow the same.