India fixes $40 per head for repatriation by sea from Male to Kochi

India has fixed $40 or Rs 3,033 per head of for repatriation by sea for people who will be brought from Male to Kochi on Friday.  

Indian Navy's Operation "Samudra Setu" to evacuate Indians from the Maldives will begin on Friday and ahead of that INS Jalashwa has entered Male port on Thursday.

INS Jalashwa plans to evacuate about 750 stranded Indians. INS Jalashwa is the Indian Navy’s Landing Platform Dock (LPD) with its capacity to generate 3MW of electrical power, 60,000 gallons (212 tons) of fresh water a day and extensive medical facilities, which is ideally suited to undertake Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions.

Indian envoy to Maldives Sunjay Sudhir speaking to WION exclusively on the operation on Wednesday said, "Around mid-day of May 8, the first group of about 700 Indians will set sail back home to Kochi, that will be the first lot. After that, we are planning few other evacuations though the Navy ship."

INS Jalashwa Indian Navy's largest Amphibious platform (Landing Platform Dock) can carry 1,000 troops. With the current social distancing norms in place, the ship can carry 500-700 people. The repatriation will be in two phases - two ships with the first group being taken to Kochi, then Tuticorin. Priority will be given to medical cases, women and those who have lost jobs.