95,665 Indian nationals brought back to country during last 2 years: Govt

New Delhi: As many as 95,665 Indian nationals have been brought back from countries affected by war, internal strife, natural disasters as also due to economic slowdown in the Gulf region during the last two years, Lok Sabha was told on Wednesday.

Asserting that the government has accorded the highest priority to ensure the safety and well-being of Indian nationals abroad, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said that during the last two years, the government has undertaken evacuation of Indian nationals from countries affected by war, internal strife and natural disasters.

The government has also assisted in repatriation of Indian nationals from abroad for various other reasons including those caught in contingency situations, impacted by economic slowdown in the Gulf region and facing difficulty due to employment related issues, he said in a written reply.

"As per available information from Indian Missions and Posts abroad, 1,23,098 Indian nationals sought government’s support and 95,665 Indian nationals were brought back to India during the last two years," Singh added.

The countries included Nepal (65,000), Malaysia (12,470), Yemen (4748), Oman (3,225), UAE (621).

Replying to a separate question, Singh said there are as many as 594 Indians in jails in Gulf countries as on February 2, 2017.