Indian Navy Ship INS Jalashwa Reaches Kochi From Maldives With 698 Indians Amid COVID-19 Lockdown

Indian Navy’s INS Jalashwa arrived at Kochi Harbour on May 10, bringing back 698 Indians from Male, Maldives. As per the Indian Navy, there were 19 pregnant women among the evacuees. This was the first batch of Indians returning by sea after an international lockdown on all modes of transport to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The Indian nationals were charged $ 40 as the repatriation service charge, the High Commission of India in the Maldives said in a statement. The Navy had made special preparations for the massive programme under the Vande Bharat mission, claimed to be the biggest repatriation exercise ever. INS Magar left from Maldives for Kochi on May 10 to bring back 202 Indians. The Indian government initiated the process of bringing back stranded Indians by air and sea from May 7. Three Ships, INS Jalashwa, INS Shardul And INS Magar Have Been Deployed By The Navy To Bring Back Stranded Indians. The naval efforts are part of an initial operation to repatriate almost 15,000 Indians from 13 countries. The number of coronavirus cases in India has reached 67152 with 2206 deaths being reported. The nationwide lockdown, currently in its third phase will end on May 17.