Union Minister Piyush Goyal welcomes second batch of evacuated Indian fishermen at Chennai airport

Chennai: Union Minister Piyush Goyal Amid the ongoing conflict situation in the region, the second batch of Indian fishermen successfully evacuated from Iran and they were welcomed at the Chennai International Airport.Goyal told reporters at the airport on Saturday that the evacuation was carried out on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian missions abroad coordinated efforts to move the stranded fishermen from Iran to Armenia and then bring them back to India.“Our prime minister gave instructions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they worked very hard to move them from Iran to Armenia. From Armenia we got support from some good people who helped us get them back because they were very poor fishermen. The first batch came with 345 people. More than 300 people came today. The Prime Minister remains concerned about all those in crisis. This once again shows how much he cares about our fishermen who are unfortunately caught up in the war with Iran. They were brought from inside Iran,” Goyal said.He further revealed that with the assistance of the Indian embassy in Iran and Armenia, more than 600 Indian fishermen have been brought back safely from Iran so far. Returnees mainly include fishermen from: tamil naduGujarat, Kerala and Puducherry.“It is a pleasure to welcome back our brave fishermen from the Iran war. They have returned to India with the help of the embassy in Iran and the embassy in Armenia. The first plane carried 345 fishermen, mostly from Tamil Nadu. Today, we have more than 300 fishermen back. Most are from Tamil Nadu, many from Gujarat and a few from Kerala and Puducherry. They travel to Iran to make a living, mostly from the southern region of the country. They come from different areas like Kanyakumari, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Nagapattinam, as well as Pudukkottai, Mayiladuthurai and many other areas along the coastline. The fishermen from Gujarat are mostly from Valsad in Surat district,” he said.Goyal also praised External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his team for their coordinated diplomatic efforts, saying they had ensured the safety of Indian citizens from the very beginning of the crisis.“From the first day of the war, Tamil Nadu-born external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his team were in touch with the fishermen to ensure their safety. The embassy gathered them in Armenia and we have arranged flights to fly them to India. They may belong to different parts of Bharat, but what binds them together is the Mahabharata, the tricolor, our national flag and the love and affection of 1.4 billion Indians who are eagerly waiting for the return of their brothers from the Iran war,” the Union Minister said.Among those deported was a fisherman from Sylvester, Konyakumari district, who was relieved to return home, saying the evacuation had brought them safety and comfort.“Now we feel safe and happy. Our Modi government has helped us a lot. Without them, we could not have reached here. They helped us a lot; they even gave us delicious, decent food,” he told ANI.