National Desk, 9th August: In a recent Rajya Sabha session, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh revealed that more than 7,200 Indian students have been repatriated from Bangladesh between July 18 and August 1 due to ongoing political unrest in the country.
Singh stated that there are approximately 19,000 Indian citizens residing in Bangladesh, including over 9,000 students. The Indian High Commission in Dhaka and Assistant High Commissions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Khulna have been coordinating the safe return of these nationals, working closely with Bangladeshi authorities.
Regarding the distribution of Indian students, Singh mentioned that they come from various states and Union Territories, including Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam.
On the topic of Indian students’ intake in Canadian universities, Singh highlighted a significant increase over the past three years, with the numbers rising from 2,16,360 in 2021 to 4,27,085 in 2023, as per Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data.
Addressing concerns about growing Chinese influence in neighboring countries, Singh assured that the Indian government monitors all activities in the region that affect its interests. Additionally, he reported that 10,025 Indian pilgrims visited Gurdwara Shri Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan in 2021, with the number increasing to 96,555 in 2023.
On the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel, Singh reaffirmed India’s position, condemning the terror attacks on Israel and calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid for Gaza.