Parliament Question: Emergency Evacuation of Indians

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5667 ANSWERED ON– 27/03/2026 EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF INDIANS †5667. SHRI RAJKUMAR ROAT Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:- (a) the details of the operations carried out for the evacuation of Indian citizens during wars/emergencies abroad in the last ten years; (b) the number of Indian students, labourers and other citizens brought back to India from such countries including the Russia- Ukraine and USA-Israel-Iran conflicts; (c) the operation-wise details of the fees charged per passenger by the Government or relevant agencies; 1(d) whether it has come to the notice of the Government that complaints have been received regarding high fees being charged in some cases during emergency evacuations or economically weaker citizens not receiving adequate priority and if so, the action taken by the Government in this regard; and (e) whether the Government proposes to formulate any policy to ensure free or subsidized evacuation of Indian students and labourers stranded abroad in such emergencies in future and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) to (c) Government accords utmost priority to the safety and well- being of the Indian nationals abroad. Government has executed various operations in last ten years to evacuate Indian nationals during wars/conflicts/emergencies. The context and basis of each operation/evacuations is unique. Details of evacuations/operations 2along with number of evacuated Indian nationals are attached at Annexure-I. During the prevailing USA-Israel-Iran conflict, Government has facilitated return of over 3.75 lakh Indian passengers by commercial flights including non-scheduled flight operations from West Asia and Gulf region till 21 March 2026. (d) & (e) The Government has received queries through various outreach platforms made available to Indian nationals during the prevalent situation. Queries received at the Special Control Room in Ministry of External Affairs range from assistance to make contact with family/friends/relatives to enquiries about available travel options, cross-border travel facilitation, situation update, to verify misinformation etc. The queries are being flagged to the concerned Indian Embassies and Consulates in the region for real-time action. Government has been facilitating Indian passengers to embark on available commercial flights by facilitating local transportation, cross-border movements, obtaining transit visas etc. Government addresses each emergency as per the on-ground situation and circumstances and a response is executed to ensure the safety and well being of Indians abroad. 3Annexure-I DETAILS OF EVACUATIONS/OPERATIONS EXECUTED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN PREVIOUS 10 YEARS Year Country & Name of Total number of Indian the Operation nationals evacuated Nepal 2015 3975 Operation Maitri Yemen 6688 2015 Operation Rahat (including 1947 foreign nationals) South Sudan 156 2016 Operation Sankat (including few foreign Mochan nationals) Yemen Operation Nistar 2018 38 (Indian naval operation) Maldives, Iran and Sri Lanka 2020 Operation Samudra 3992 Setu (Indian Naval Op.) Vande Bharat Mission 3.20 crore 2020- (Global) (1.594 crore disembarked and 2022 1.608 crore embarked) Afghanistan 669 (including 15 other foreign Operation Devi Shakti nationals and 206 Afghans, 2021 which includes members of the Afghan Hindu/Sikh minority) Ukraine 18,282 2022 Operation Ganga 2023 Sudan 4,097 4(including 136 foreign Operation Kaveri nationals) Israel 1,343 2023 (including 14 OCI card holders Operation Ajay and 20 foreign nationals) Haiti 17 2024 Operation Indravati Kuwait (Special Humanitarian 2024 45 (mortal remains) Airlift of deceased Indian nationals) Iran 2025 3597 Operation Sindhu Israel 2025 818 Operation Sindhu 2024- Syria 86 25 2022- Iraq 135 2025 Sri Lanka 424 (evacuated by special IAF (Operation Sagar flights on gratis basis) and 2025 Bandhu -HADR 2076 (facilitated by operation) commercial flights) ***** 5