Coronavirus | Nodal officer appointed in Kazakhstan to help stranded Indian students

The decision comes after the Delhi High Court directed the Ministry of External Affairs to provide assistance to the Indian national

An official wearing protective gear is seen at a checkpoint set up to lock down the city to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The Indian mission in Kazakhstan has appointed a nodal officer to help around 200 students who are stuck in the country after India suspended all international flights to fight the COVID-19 crisis. The decision came hours after the Delhi High Court directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to provide assistance to the Indian nationals.

In a public notice, the Embassy of India in Nur Sultan declared Martin Cyriac Clemense, the Officer-in-Charge of Representative Office of India in Almaty, as the nodal person for ensuring the immediate necessities of the students, including “boarding, lodging, food, medicine etc”.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a directive to the MEA in response to pleas from the students who were stranded at the international airport of Almaty since Sunday.

The court asked the Ministry to ensure “basic amenities and humanitarian assistance in terms of medical care, boarding, food, lodging and transportation as may be necessary or warranted”.