The Ministry of External Affairs has started making preparations for bringing back a number of Indians stranded abroad after the nationwide lockdown ends of May 3.
As per reports, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba discussed with top government officials about bringing back stranded Indian citizens from abroad in special flights after the nationwide lockdown gets over.
Gauba asked state governments to earmark hospital beds and quarantine zones for the stranded Indian nationals.
With all international passenger flight services remaining suspended due to the nationwide lockdown, many Indians could not come back to their homes.
Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri had also recently advised airlines to open their bookings only after the government takes a decision when passenger flight services can be resumed.
He had also said that flight restrictions will be lifted only when the government is confident that the spread of COVID-19 has been controlled.
All domestic and international commercial passenger flights have been suspended till 11:59 p.m. of May 3, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier said.
The civil aviation regulator decided to suspend flights after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3.