The union government, on July 29, said that travel restrictions are being eased for Indian students by several countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany. As the Covid-19 pandemic situation gradually improves, other countries are also expected to do the same.
According to Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, the government’s efforts are to ease travel restrictions for Indian students studying abroad in foreign universities.
In a tweet, ANI wrote: “The Ministry has been making efforts for easing travel restrictions wherever in place, for Indian students enrolled in foreign universities to make their travel to respective countries possible: MoS MEA V Muraleedharan in Rajya Sabha.”
After India was ravaged by a deadly Coronavirus second wave, several nations imposed travel restrictions for Indians.
“The ministry (MEA) has been making efforts for easing travel restrictions, wherever in place, for Indian students enrolled in foreign universities to make their travel to respective countries possible,” Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in the Rajya Sabha.
“Our missions abroad have been actively taking up these issues with the respective governments and have been impressing upon those governments to ease the travel restrictions,” the minister added.
V Muraleedharan confirmed that the problem of travel restriction had been taken up with a number of countries at the ministerial level, adding that the welfare of Indians living abroad, including students, is the government’s top priority.
“Consequently, travel restrictions are being eased for Indian students to travel to many countries, including the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Georgia, etc.; more countries are expected to open up when the Covid situation improves,” he said.
Muraleedharan further stated that the government is focusing on fighting the pandemic effectively and also mitigating the effects.
“Through its national efforts and with international cooperation, India has been dealing with the ongoing pandemic. There has been more than one wave of the disease, including due to mutations of the virus,” Muraleedharan said.
“Under these evolving circumstances, the statements made by the government focus on India’s national efforts, international cooperation and the extant/present state of the pandemic,” he added.