Skyrocketing flight prices forcing Indian students to stay put in Ukraine
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Feb, 2022 11:36 AM
New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS) After the Ministry of External Affairs put out an advisory for the Indians in Ukraine to leave country, many students are unwilling to return due to skyrocketing flight ticket prices.
The flight ticket prices have risen from Rs 50,000 to over Rs 70,000 and the students say it is this financial hurdle that is forcing them to stay put despite the advisory by the Indian government. On normal days, the flight tickets would cost Rs 21,000-Rs 26,000. But now, due to the Russia-Ukraine tensions, the rates have jacked up.
"Travel agents are exploiting the situation to mint money. We don't have so much money. The news of this Russian-Ukraine conflict actually gave them an opportunity to push flight ticket booking charges citing the troubled situation over here, what can we do? We cannot afford this," said a medical student at Ukrainian capital Kyiv to the media.
"The Indian embassy issued an advisory, telling us to leave the country (Ukraine) temporarily, but how? That's the question and we have been not answered by them," said another medical student.
A small but vibrant Indian community lives in Ukraine, comprising mostly business professionals and students. There are about 18,000 Indian students studying in Ukraine, mainly in the field of medicine. Indian business professionals work predominantly in the fields of pharmaceuticals, IT, engineering, medicine, education, etc.
"India Club' founded by Indian expats in 2001, actively engages the Indian diaspora in Ukraine and organises/supports several events -- such as Diwali festival, cricket tournaments, Holi festival, Indian dance festival, screening of Bollywood movies, etc," informed the Ministry of External Affairs.
A delegation of parents of the students from Gujarat approached Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and asked for help to make a safe passage for their children staying in Ukraine to return home.
The Ministry of External Affairs has activated helpline numbers and emails, so that Indian nationals in Ukraine can contact the embassy when required.
Ukraine is now at a verge of war due to Russian military buildup at the borders. The US has warned that Russia can invade Ukraine at any time, though in the last two days, there has been a de-escalation of the situation at the Russia-Ukraine border.
Barrons, a Dow Jones & Company publication, said that tensions in the "Middle East have the potential to lift prices." It noted that earlier JP Morgan had predicted that oil prices could touch $80 a barrel with rising demand and constraint supply.
While Biden has previously blamed Afghans for the U.S. failure to get out more allies ahead of this month's sudden Taliban takeover, U.S. officials told The Associated Press that American diplomats had formally urged weeks ago that the administration ramp up evacuation efforts.
In a statement on Friday, the U.N. health agency said the new scientific group would provide the WHO with an independent analysis of the work done to date to pinpoint the origins of COVID-19 and to advise the agency on necessary next steps. The experts will also provide guidance on critical issues regarding the potential emergence of other viruses capable of triggering outbreaks, such as MERS and Ebola.
During their first press conference on Tuesday the Taliban pressed the right button-backing women's rights. But their promise of protecting women's rights had an important nuance: Women will enjoy freedoms but within the ambit of "Islamic law" .
A contingent of persons from the Hindu and Sikh communities who are stranded in Afghanistan were provided reassurance of safety by the Taliban, media reports said. Over 300 Hindus and Sikhs are reportedly taking shelter at the Karte Parwan Gurudwara in Kabul.
We need humanitarian supplies. The refugee situation we updated you with last week and the week before has only deteriorated. We have 300,000 internal refugees and 80,000 children who are without shelter and food. Where we were short of supplies, now we are out.
