Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today chaired a comprehensive review meeting with senior officials of his ministry to assess the safety and security of Indian seafarers amid the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia and beyond.
In a social media post, Mr Sonowal said the Central Government has always placed Seafarer First, a vision that has driven a significant increase in the number of Indian seafarers since 2014, making India the world’s second-largest supplier of seafarers. He added that the DGCOMM Centre is operating round-the-clock to monitor distress alerts and coordinate rescue efforts. He highlighted during the ongoing crisis over four thousand stranded Indian seafarers have been safely repatriated. Mr Sonowal also noted that over 16 thousand calls and 40 thousand emails were handled by the emergency response channels.
He said the Directorate General of Maritime Administration is providing repatriation support, medical assistance, counselling, and continuous engagement with the families of affected seafarers. The Minister said an immediate financial assistance of ten lakh rupees is being provided to the next of kin of deceased seafarers under the SWFS Special High-Risk Area Scheme.
