India seeks deals with 13 more countries over its repatriation drive

Passengers queue up to enter the airport in Ahmedabad, India, April 13, 2020. /AP

India is seeking to strike deals with more countries over its repatriation drive, Vande Bharat Mission (VBM), which allows special flights into the country amid a lockdown of its airspace due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India's Union Minister for Housing Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, said on Tuesday his country was negotiating with 13 more countries, including two African countries – Kenya and Nigeria.

The other countries are;Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Bahrain, Israel, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.

"Air Travel arrangements are already in place with USA, UK, France, Germany, UAE, Qatar Maldives," said Singh Puri.

"The ongoing negotiations will benefit stranded Indians and nationals of these countries," he added.

India, a country of 1.3 billion, has been under a lockdown since March 25, but gradually relaxed over the months.

One of the lockdown restrictions imposed by the government included a ban on non-essential travel into and out of the country.

As the fight against the pandemic continues, the Indian government is now allowing its citizens to return on special flights, while also allowing some foreign citizens to return to their countries.

India is one of the world's worst-hit countries globally by the COVID-19 pandemic, having reported 2,702,742 infections and 51,797 deaths.

The country's caseload is only shadowed by figures posted by the United States and Brazil.

The death toll is the fourth-highest globally after the U.S., Brazil and Mexico.