"Government is committed to reuniting Indian origin students with their families," Biplab Kumar Deb said
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Friday said that he has decided to contribute from his salary for the airfare of Delhi-Agartala flights for the students of Tripura who are returning from war-torn Ukraine.
"I am always indebted to the people of Tripura for their unconditional blessings and affection. As a humble token of gratitude, I have decided to contribute from my salary for the airfare of Delhi-Agartala flights for the students of Tripura who are returning from Ukraine," tweeted Mr Deb.
"Instructions have been given to Tripura Bhawan Delhi officials to coordinate with the students returning from Ukraine. Government of India led by PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji is committed to reuniting Indian origin students with their families," he added.
The Ministry of External Affairs, in close coordination with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is making all efforts to bring the Indian students back to India at a fast pace.
Four Union Ministers -- Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Kiren Rijiju and Gen (Retd) VK Singh -- have gone to countries adjoining Ukraine to support and supervise evacuation operations. Indian civilian planes as well as Indian Air Force planes are regularly bringing back stranded Indian students.
The Ministry of External Affairs said more than 7,400 persons are expected to be brought through special flights in the next two days. Further, 3,500 persons are expected to be brought back on Friday and over 3900 on March 5.
Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.
Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia's military operations in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow. These countries have also promised Ukraine to help with military aid to fight Russia.
The US, Canada and European allies agreed to remove key Russian banks from the interbank messaging system, SWIFT which means Russian banks won't be able to communicate securely with banks beyond Russia's borders. President Putin has also signed a decree on special economic measures against the US and its allies.