JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday, urging them to talk to the governments of Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Belarus and Romania for the safe and quick evacuation of the Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine.
He said continuous contact should be maintained with the Indian students through the embassies in these countries, so that they can be assured about their safe return to the country.
In a statement, Gehlot said a large number of Indian students are still waiting to be rescued in war-hit Ukraine.
The chief minister spoke to some of the Indian citizens, including students, residing in Kyiv and Kharkiv through video calls, took information from them about the situation over there and boosted their morale.
He assured them of all possible efforts for their safe return to India.
In his letters to Modi and Jaishankar, Gehlot said the Centre is making efforts to evacuate the Indians stuck in Ukraine through Indian embassies, but a large number of Indian citizens are still stranded in the war-hit European country.
He said the Centre should make all possible efforts for the safe return of all the Indian citizens from Ukraine and the officers at the embassies should be in constant contact with them for any kind of support.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday said 1,396 Indians were brought back from Ukraine in six flights in the last few days as part of the evacuation mission.
Meanwhile, a total of 136 Rajasthani students have been evacuated from war-torn Ukraine so far with 41 of them reaching New Delhi on Monday, a state government official said.
All 41 Rajasthani students evacuated from Ukraine on Monday reached Delhi with 18 of them landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the morning in a Budapest-Delhi plane with other evacuees and 23 others in the evening, a state government statement said.
The remaining students reached Jaipur either directly or through Mumbai, said Rajasthan Foundation Commissioner Dheeraj Srivastava, deputed at the IGI Airport to receive Rajasthani people and students evacuated from the war-ravaged country.
The 41 students who landed in Delhi on Monday belong to various places in Rajasthan including Dungarpur, Jhunjhunu, Udaipur, Banswara, Churu, Rajsamand and Sikar, he said.
Those reaching Delhi on Monday were welcomed by state Cabinet Minister Mamta Bhupesh and Srivastava, the nodal officer for the evacuation of the Rajasthani students from Ukraine.
The state government has set up a 24-hour help desk at the IGIA to receive and facilitate the return of the Rajasthan migrants evacuated from Ukraine, the government statement said.
The Rajasthan Help Desk is making all arrangements to help evacuated people to reach their homes in their native state, the statement said quoting Bhupesh.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhupesh said under Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's guidance, the state government is constantly making every effort for the safe return of the state's students to their homes.
She said the chief minister has also written a letter to the Union government demanding all possible help from the government to rescue the stranded migrants in Ukraine.