Efforts on to arrange more flights for Indians wishing to return from Ukraine: MoS External Affairs

Muraleedharan, speaking to reporters at Kottayam, said the central government was responsible for ensuring safety and welfare of nearly 20,000 Indians, majority of them students, presently in Ukraine and towards that goal the External Affairs Ministry was working with the Civil Aviation Ministry to arrange more flights for those wishing to come back.

He said efforts are being made to arrange more flights in view of the situation that many Indians there do not have the requisite means to return and added that no one was being forced to come back presently.

Meanwhile, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president and MP K Sudhakaran shot off a letter on Wednesday to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for ensuring more flights out of Ukraine for Indians.

The Congress MP, in his letter, said he was receiving several complaints that there was an acute scarcity of flights out of that country and as a result, air fare charges have soared. This has made it difficult for Indian students, wishing to return, to purchase air tickets, he said.

''I would appreciate it if you could kindly look into the matter and ensure more flights are made available at a capped airfare so that our citizens are able to return to safety,'' Sudhakaran said in his letter.