Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote to Union Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar requesting him to direct officials at Indian embassies in various countries to smoothen the process of registration of migrants returning to the country and to share the data so that the States could send them to quarantine, thereby preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Mr. Jagan also sought necessary steps for safely bringing back visitors and students who were stranded abroad for the last six weeks.

The Chief Minister stated that the Kuwait government has announced an amnesty scheme for repatriating the overstaying migrants to their respective countries by providing travel costs and waiving immigration fines.

The same process is likely to be adopted by other member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Job losses in the Gulf would exacerbate the influx of returnees to India upon the resumption of international flights, Mr. Jagan observed.

Mr. Jagan said that thousands of migrants from Andhra Pradesh are likely to return from the Gulf once the Government of India resumes international travel.

The CM said that there was a massive turnout of migrant workers at the Indian embassy in Kuwait on April 29 for registering before the deadline (April 30) expired. In view of these events, the MEA should facilitate smooth entry of returnees, Mr. Jagan said in his letter.