RIYADH — Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao on Monday held a meeting with the members of Indian community in the embassy premises to discuss various issues pertaining to the welfare of the Indian community in Saudi Arabia. Minister/deputy chief of Mission Sibi George along with other officials of the Embassy was also present during the meeting. A statement was released which reads as follows: “The Embassy has observed inaccurate reports in some sections of Indian media which created panic among the Indian expatriate community in Saudi Arabia and their families in different States of India. The Saudization program also called Nitaqat program currently being undertaken in Saudi Arabia is not targeting any particular expatriate community. This is part of an ongoing Saudi policy of generating employment for Saudi nationals and for streamlining the job market in the country. There are more than two million Indians currently working in Saudi Arabia in peace and harmony. The Indian community is the most preferred expatriate community in Saudi Arabia. The Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah proactively take up with the Saudi authorities the issue of the welfare of the Indians in distress irrespective of their visa status. This includes huroob (run away) cases and free-visa cases which is an illegal category in Saudi Arabia. The embassy follows an open house policy where all Indians are free to visit the Embassy and seek assistance in their cases. The embassy holds regular ‘Open House' where Ambassador directly meets Indian workers in distress and seeks solutions for their cases within the Saudi law. Both the Embassy in Riyadh and its Consulate in Jeddah maintain excellent relations with Saudi authorities at all levels. There have been regular meetings at high level with Saudi authorities and provincial authorities to discuss the welfare of the Indian community. The embassy assures the Indian community that there is no need for panic and overreaction on the Nitaqat program. The embassy will notify the community through media release on any further developments. The embassy and consulate officials have also been regularly visiting the deportation centers in Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah. It has also been working very closely with Indian social workers to ensure that the concerns of the Indian nationals in distress are addressed. The embassy has recently taken additional steps to address the concerns of the Indians in distress in Saudi Arabia. The embassy has started registration of legally employed Indians who face difficulties, if any, due to the Nitaqat program, particularly due to their companies moving into red category. They could e-mail their details at: [email protected] or courier their contact details and passport copies to Embassy of India. The embassy would take up their cases with the Saudi authorities for favorable consideration. The Embassy would also receive applications for Emergency Certificates – ECs (travel documents) from Indian nationals for taking up their case of final exit with the Saudi authorities for favorable consideration. Please note that no amnesty has been declared by Saudi authorities. Embassy will notify the community if it receives any such information from the Saudi authorities. ECs will be issued only after the Saudi authorities agree to grant permission for the final exit of the applicants. The Embassy will announce the updates on these in its website. A 24-hour Embassy helpline would also provide information on these steps.” — SG
