Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 25

Indian citizen Mohini Singh, who works at the British Deputy High Commission in Chandigarh as a consular official, has been appointed as an honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Her Majesty The Queen.

Officials said the honour was conferred in recognition of Mohini’s services to British people during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, the UK Government had arranged 66 special charter flights, running from April 8 to June 5, which brought back nearly 18,000 passengers from 32 locations across India to the UK.

To meet the extraordinary demand from the region, the Amritsar airport saw the largest number of UK Government charter flights across the nation. As a consular officer, Mohini’s role was to help provide support and advice to British nationals trying to get home.

“Mohini worked tirelessly to support the affected British people due to the lockdown and the ban on international travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the lockdown, over 8,000 people were successfully repatriated from Amritsar on 29 flights, one of the UK’s largest repatriation operations in 2020,” said Caroline Rowett, British Deputy High Commissioner in Chandigarh.

“I’m delighted to receive the award and grateful to be a part of the UK in India network. It has been a challenging year, but my family and colleagues have been extremely supportive, empathetic and unfailingly kind,” said Mohini Singh, consular officer at the British Deputy High Commission in Chandigarh

Mohini, who hails from Chandigarh, has been working at the British Deputy High Commission in Chandigarh since 2018.