VIJAYAWADA: The state government has, so far, tracked down 537 people from Andhra Pradesh studying in universities in the war-ravaged Ukraine. Of them, 32 have reached the state in five flights that landed at Mumbai and Delhi airports.The Task Force constituted to oversee the safe return of Telugu students from Ukraine, had collected data of these 537 students through various sources and from distress calls it received.
“Data from consultancies that sent these students to Ukraine, have been collated. After parents corroborated the information, master data were prepared with regard to the Telugu speakers, especially those from AP, and all the 537 students were contacted,” MT Krishna Babu, principal secretary to the state government, who is heading the Task Force said on Monday.
Krishna Babu added the students from AP are studying in 14 universities in Ukraine. “A majority of them are studying at five universities. Among them, most are students of Zaporizhia State Medical University in the southeastern part of the country, which is witnessing minor bombings.”
Adding that efforts are on to contact Telugu associations in Poland, Moldova, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia (all of them border Ukraine), Krishna Babu said, “The Telugu residents of Poland are providing assistance to the Indians stranded on the border.”
A meeting was held between APNRTS chairman and advisors to the Chief Minister on international affairs to identify people of Telugu origin settled in these countries who can facilitate Telugu students with transport, accommodation, food and others at the border check posts till flights are arranged to bring them back to India, he said. Meanwhile, AP Bhavan officials are making arrangements for the reception and onward transportation of the Telugu students who arrive in Delhi. Similarly, IG (registration) Ramakrishna is in Mumbai to make the necessary arrangements.