“Vande Bharat Mission” Becomes One of Top Civilian Evacuation Mission

What is the News? Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) has become one of the largest evacuation missions of civilians by a country.

About Vande Bharat Mission(VBM):

• Vande Bharat Mission started in May 2020 to bring back Indians stranded abroad due to COVID-19 and the resultant lockdowns.
• The first phase of the Vande Bharat mission aimed at destinations with a high concentration of Indians.
• Currently, into the middle of Phase 10, the mission surpasses the large-scale airlift of 1.1 lakh people in 1990 at the onset of the Gulf War.

Cargo Only Flights:

• Air India has also chartered some flights as “cargo-only flights”. These flights shipped fruits and vegetables to NRIs and rural farmers in West Asian countries, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. So that NRIs living there do not face the food shortage.

Transport Bubbles:

• Transport bubbles or air travel arrangements are temporary arrangements between two countries aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended as a result of the pandemic.
• The arrangements are reciprocal in nature. The airlines from both countries enjoy similar benefits.
• India has established such arrangements with countries such as the US, UK, UAE, Canada, Ethiopia, and France among others.

Source: The Hindu