Panaji, March 29/The Navhind Times Press Report The Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, Mr Vayalar Ravi today announced that there would be an Indian centre in Dubai soon to provide legal, medical and financial counselling services to the Indian expatriates in the Gulf. Speaking at the conference on the Indian expatriates in Gulf countries held at a city hotel and organised by the office of the Commission for NRI Affairs, Mr Ravi said that his ministry has established an Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre as a not-for-profit trust in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry and it would be a one-stop shop for the diaspora seeking to invest in India and facilitate business and business partnerships by providing reliable and real-time information. He said to make higher education accessible to the children of overseas Indians his ministry has launched a scholarship scheme in 2006-07 in which 100 scholarship are provided each year to children of expatriates to undertake undergraduate courses in different disciplines in the country. Favouring an amendment to the Emigration Act, the Union minister informed that the amendment was on the cards. He said that this amendment was needed as the act was getting outdated now. Lauding the role played by NRIs in the development of their country, the Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs promised to do everything in his power to help streamline immigration procedures and look after the interests of the Indian expatriates all over the world. He informed that his ministry is proactive in streamlining procedures to make them simple and was going for e-governance in emigration to make it simple, quick, effective, transparent and accountable by linking stakeholders on common platform. Dwelling upon on the works his ministry had done for the expatriate community, he promised that as a minister he would keep a check on and prosecute the agents who exploit the people, especially from the semi-skilled pool of workers, and help those agents who help the people. Also present were for the conference the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, the NRI commissioner, Mr Eduardo Faleiro secretary, NRI affairs, Mr K S Singh, the chairman of the Oversees Employment Agency of Goa, and the director of NRI Affairs, Mr UD Kamat. Mr Kamat appreciated the efforts of the NRI affairs department in creating an environment for expatriates to come back and invest in the state and pledged his support to the NRIs. He informed the government would send an award winning Mando troupe at the Mando festival in the Gulf. Mr Faleiro lauded the efforts of the Union government to regulate recruitment of our labour abroad so as to provide our workers with higher wages and improved working conditions as has already been done by several other countries. He said many of the problems troubling our workers abroad are created by recruiting agents in India itself. Community service leadership awards were presented to Mr Pedro Aulona Renato Correia, Mr Gabriel Crasto, Mr Alfred Loyola DSouza (Bahrain), Dr Jaganath Ramnath Chodankar, Mr Alex Wilson Coelho, Mr Damiao Cosme Carmo Santos (Kuwait), Dr Mario Carmo de Souza and Mr Celso Vincent Andre Fernandes (Oman), Mr Simon Xavier D'Silva (Qatar), Mr Ramnath Arjuna Mavlingcar (UAE), Mr Rockson Rufus Rodrigues (Dubai) and Ms Suman Anand Kurade (Delhi). _________________ Additional input: All Photos courtesy: Godfrey Gonsalves Also read: In a brief two hour function "CONFERENCE ON INDIAN EXPARTRIATES IN THE GULF COUNTRIES" held at the Convention Hall, Hotel Mandovi, Panaji this afternoon, the Union Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Shri Vayalar Ravi informed the gathering of NRG who had come from places in the Gulf countries that his nascent ministry had made upteen changes to ensure that NRI's world over do not face hardships either by recruiting agents, need for Emigration Clearance etc etc.
He made a specific mention that during the financial crisis that the country faced in 1990-91 where India had to pledge her gold the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh who was then the Finance Minister looked upon the Gulf remittances as a measure to ward off the crisis. It is for this reason the Prime Minister Dr. Singh salutes the hard work of the Gulf workers a large chunk which constitute mainly skilled and unskilled workers, has extended full support of the UPA Government to redeem the problems of the Gulf expartriates. He spoke of the memorandum of understanding signed by various countries to ensure women workers do not suffer. He has introduced a Helpline and toll free numbers, so that women who proceed to the Gulf would learn about the genuineness of the recruiting agents. He has also introduced the concept of minimum wages are in the range of S300 to S350 and directed that the Embassies should endorse the employment contents. He has also provided for Shelter homes in the Embassy and directed that evert women employee should be given a access to mobile phones with a minimum call limits According to Mr Ravi most of the European nations are ageing nations and would require manpower from young nations like India and hence there is a high potential for overseas recruitments. He said in the early 1970's it was mainly the nurses from Kerala who had migrated and many of them without proper documentation. It is these who took over large families to the Gulf and other countries and that is how the women account for a major chunk of NRIs. Mr Eduardo Faleiro the Commissioner for NRI distributed a compilation of the action taken report on his recent Gulf tour. He left it to the NRI's to decide upon its contents and give the feed back. Mr Faleiro an ex Union Minister for External Affairs, also made an impassioned plea to the Union Minister Mr Ravi to bring down the cultural troupe Ekvat from Lisbon to perform in Indian cities. He also provided a CD of their performance for necessary action. Mr Faleiro also requested to have a chair of Hindi and Indian Culture in the Institute of Oriental Studies which was presently headed by a Goan Dr Coissore. CN Minister Digamber Kamat made an impassioned plea not to oppose development programmes merely for the sake of Opposition but to work in concert for the development of the State. He promised to send another cultural troupe to the Gulf countries to enthuse Goans and revive their links with their mother land. Chief Secretary of Goa Shri J P Singh,IAS also spoke of Goa's economic progress and its emerging as a properous state. He welcomed the NRIs to be partners in development to enhance the prestige of the State. NRI's who have contributed to the services of fellow NRIs in the Gulf were given a plaque at the hands of the Union Minister Mr Ravi. The Pilar choral group gave a beautiful rendition of their welcome songs which was applauded by all. Others who spoke were Shri K S Singh Secretary NRI affairs and Vice Admiral (Retd) John C D Silva Chairman Overseas Employment Agency of Goa and Vote of thanks by U D Kamt Director NRI affairs. A hand book (Rs.20/-) for Non Resident Goans (NRG's) was released at the hands of the CM. SIDELIGHTS the programe commence over 40 minutes late as the Union Minister had not arrived from outstation the "Conference on Indian Expartriates "... should have read as Felicititation of Expartriates in Gulf Countries.. the Union Minister spoke at lenght and gave humorous tit bits on his interaction with the NRI's Mr Ravi freely interacted with the NRI's after the function and obliged several NRG's for a photoshots. Many NRG's felt that there were more NRG's who ought to be felicitated and were not clear of the criteria adopted for the present few selected. (More photos available on request). GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES, BORDA, MARGAO, 403 602, GOA. (INDIA) +91 98221 58584 (24 HRS) - Fowarded by Gaspar Almeida, Associate, www.goa-world.com & Moderator, Gulf-Goans e-Newsletter (since 1994). Goa's Pride - http://www.goa-world.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuCMjzYA3_U Gulf-Goans e-Newsletter (Since 1994) archived at http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/gulf-goans/ Moderated by Gaspar Almeida & presented by Ulysses Menezes http://youtube.com/watch?v=-jXmU_x5mKk - 1st Konkani e-cinema shortly releasing in 'Goa' --------------------------------- You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.
