The new Indian Consul General Faiz Ahmad Kidwai started serving the Indian community in Jeddah from April 23. He is an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and has more than 13 years of field experience on different projects in India. Kidwai told Saudi Gazette in an exclusive interview soon after starting work, that he joined the IAS in 1996. “I have worked for the Government of India and Madhya Pradesh (MP) since August 2007, and now this is my chance to serve my country as Consul General in Jeddah, which is again a very important post,” he remarked. After starting work for the IAS, Kidwai underwent training from the Baster district in MP. “It was a united Madhya Pradesh at that time; it was a tribal district and heavily forested. After that, I was posted in various places within the state. I worked in the subdivisional district called Shajapur, as well as in other three districts called Hoshangabad, Rewa and Seoni,” he explained. Kidwai's considerable administrative field experience was mainly in the management of human resources. He implemented various government policies and carried out numerous welfare activities, such as looking after the education, health and other public sectors. In MP, he gained experience in matters relating to industrial finance and commerce in government undertakings and corporations; rural and urban development and district administration; mass education and literacy; resettlement and rehabilitation; implementation of World Bank-assisted projects; urban finance, governance, infrastructure and development and policy and institutional analysis. He is seen as a quick learner and team player and his record as a civil servant is outstanding. He received his training (UDISHA) in Women and Child Development from the Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. He has also completed the Innovation in Governance management program for IAS officers at IIM Bangalore, attended the seventh Joint Civil Military Training Program at LBSNAA Missouri and training program on the World Trade Organization and New Trade Regime at IIFT in New Delhi last year 2010. “I have been meeting with members of the Indian community ever since I arrived and one thing I have started is to sit at the reception of the consulate for at least an hour every Saturday and Wednesday from 10 to 11 A.M. to meet the Indian community,” Kidwai remarked. “Anybody can meet me without an appointment during that time. I want to tell my community that it is a open house; I'll be here for them and anybody can walk in and meet me and talk about any issue they have. We will try to help in any way we can.” He added that every place has its own problems and his experience will help him in handling the situation and solving those problems. “I was trained in the most backward area of the country; reaching out to them was also a big issue – from organizing law and order to water scarcity to floods – and I handled all that,” he said. “I believe that solutions come not from a single person, but from everybody when they put their heads together and try to tackle a problem. The solution also comes from the same place where the problems begin, so the involvement of the public is very important for any solution.” Becoming a Consul General is his first assignment of its kind, where he has to handle public work related to passport, visas, labor issues and Haj management. “Haj management is a big exercise of management,” he remarked. “To this end, we will try to give assurance and satisfaction to the people and try to involve the local community in our efforts.” On the issue of overseas voting he said that it is a policy decision at the government level to conduct polling here at the consulate or Embassy, and allow Non Resident Indians (NRI's) to cast their vote. “We can definitely write to the government and tell them that it is a genuine problem and if we get permission or approval in this regard, we will be more than happy to help the community. In fact, we will take it up with the election commission and government,” he stated. Kidwai worked as Director of the President's Secretariat, Rashtrapati Bhavan, from Aug 2007 to April 2011 and was responsible for the administration and establishment of estates and constitutional affairs (Central Legislation). A project called “Roshini” has been launched to make the President's Estate a model, eco-friendly township. He remarked that it was an excellent experience to working for the initiative. “We have done a lot of work on energy conservation; we tried to build a green building there and to this end, I have done a lot of work related to solar energy, water recycling and recharge and rain water harvesting and plantations. We have also done work on household waste and built massive gardens to make the presidential state eco-friendly enough to receive the International Standard Organization (ISO) certification. He added that he has worked extensively in the field of environment and “would love to work and be a part of Saudi environmental campaigns, if he got the chance”. He also said that he would love to do more work to enhance cultural exchange between the two countries. ‘'I interacted with the Indian council for cultural relations before coming here; they are setting up their office in Riyadh, which could be functional soon,” he said. “Let me settle down in my work here and we will soon do something to boost cultural exchange between the two countries.” Kidwai also has plans to revive the Saudi-Indian trade establishment which has done a lot of good work and make it more active. “I interacted with all the chambers of commerce and industries in India before leaving, especifically the people who are looking after India's trade with the Middle East, and they have given me a lot of input,” he remarked. “With the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Saudi-India network, we will try to promote increased trade between the two countries.” He will also focus on the issue of stranded Indians “who are suffering under the Kandara Bridge”, and try to find out “how best to help them within the existing laws of the country”. “I feel that (this) is a very vibrant and active community. They have already made some efforts here and I will definitely encourage such efforts. I am very clear that I have come here to serve them; they are my priority and I will serve them.” He also shared his experience of performing his first Umrah on April 22, which was a “tremendous” experience for him. “It was an amazing experience, something which is not possible to describe. We face the Ka'ba five times a day, so I can't explain how I felt when I saw the Ka'ba for the first time face to face, and offered my prayers in front of it. You suddenly feel that you have become pure.” Kidwai is now looking forward to spending his first Ramadan here.
