Amaravati, March 2 Andhra Pradesh NRI Empowerment and Relations Minister K Srinivas said on Monday that the state government is taking urgent steps to safely bring back Telugu citizens stranded in the Gulf region due to escalating tensions.
A joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran on February 28 has triggered an indefinite war, entangling several neighboring Arab nations in the vicinity, where millions of Indians eke out a living.
The NRI Empowerment & Relations Minister called on Telugu expatriates in the Gulf to make use of the helplines launched for their assistance.
"We are taking measures to safely bring back the Telugu people stuck in the Gulf nations to the state (Andhra Pradesh) against the backdrop of a war between Israel and Iran," said Srinivas in an official press release.
As Telugu people are facing hardships in some airports, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and I are regularly monitoring the situation, he said.
Noting that the government has alerted Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) coordinators in the Gulf region to help Telugu people in distress, Srinivas said efforts are on to provide temporary accommodation, security and help in the homes of local Telugu people.
He said APNRTS officials are monitoring the situation and are in touch with its coordinator in the Gulf.
The Minister also appealed to the Telugu community to avail the services of local Indian Embassies.
Further, Srinivas urged the NRIs to rely only on official sources and avoid unverified information or rumours circulating on social media.