Over 50,000 Indians repatriated from Oman since May due to COVID-19: report
Dubai: More than 50,000 Indians living in Oman have been flown home on repatriation and chartered flights in the last three months after the oil-rich Gulf nation was hit by the coronavirus outbreak, a media report said on Monday.
Since May, when the cases of coronavirus in Oman started surging, a total of 198 chartered planes were arranged by companies and social organisations in Oman, taking home 35,000 Indian nationals, the Times of Oman reported, citing a statement from the Indian Embassy in Muscat.
Additionally, the Vande Bharat repatriation mission organised by the Government of India has seen another 17,000 Indians fly home on 97 flights, the statement said.
Anuj Swarup, the Second Secretary at Indian Embassy in Oman, said the Vande Bharat Mission from Oman that started on May 9 has operated till date a total 105 flights, enabling thousands of Indian nationals to return to India, according to the Gulf News, a UAE-based newspaper.
Swarup said the Indian government has planned Phase 5 of the Vande Bharat Mission in the coming days.
As we glide into Phase 5 of Vande Bharat Mission, a total 19 flights have been scheduled in the first half of August to various Indian states. Flights have been scheduled as per the registrations received by the Embassy and we will continue to facilitate travel of Indian nationals, Swarup said.
Oman, which so far has reported 79,159 infections and reported 422 deaths due to the disease, also saw its economy hit by the pandemic, causing a large number of job losses.
More than nine million Indians work and live in the Gulf region. In Oman, they constitute the largest expatriate community.
There are about 7,70,000 Indians in Oman, of which about 6,55,000 are workers and professionals. Thousands of Indians are working as doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, teachers, lecturers, nurses and other professionals, according to the Indian Embassy in Oman.
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SC stays UGC regulation pertaining to definition of caste discrimination
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a recent University Grants Commission (UGC) regulation after various pleas were filed contending that the Commission adopted a non-inclusionary definition of caste-based discrimination and excluded certain categories from institutional protection.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the Centre and the UGC on the pleas challenging the regulation.
The new regulations mandating all higher education institutions to form "equity committees" to look into discrimination complaints and promote equity were notified on January 13.
The University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, mandated that these committees must include members of the Other Backward Classes (OBC), the Scheduled Castes (SC), the Scheduled Tribes (ST), persons with disabilities, and women.
The new regulations replaces the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012, which was largely advisory in nature.
The pleas assailed the regulation on the grounds that caste-based discrimination is defined strictly as discrimination against members of the SCs, STs and OBCs.
It said that by limiting the scope of "caste-based discrimination" only to SC, ST and OBC categories, the UGC has effectively denied institutional protection and grievance redressal to individuals belonging to the "general" or non-reserved categories who may also face harassment or bias based on their caste identity.
Protests were held at various places against the regulations, with student groups and organisations demanding its immediate rollback.
