AMBASSADOR’S MESSAGE TO INDIAN VOLUNTEERS June 9, 2013 “Our Unity Takes Us Forward” The July 3rd deadline is fast approaching. We have been partners in our endeavor to assist our brothers and sisters in fully utilizing the ‘concessions’ announced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for overstaying expatriates to correct their status or to leave the country without facing penal action. Together we have made significant progress to (i) spread the message to Indians all across the Kingdom to utilize the ‘concessions’ within the grace period; (ii) generate awareness among our countrymen here and in India on the need to follow the rules and regulations of this country; (iii) collect and process Emergency Certificate applications from the length and breadth of this large country; (iv) take up our concerns with the authorities of this country at all levels; (v) build a network of committed volunteers all across this large country; (vi) provide assistance to Saudi labour offices and Tarheels in translation and other work; and (vi) provide solace and comfort to our brothers and sisters in distress. Let me reiterate my sincere gratitude to the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the leadership of this country for the ‘concessions’ and adopting humanitarian approach towards this issue. For many of our brothers and sisters in distress these ‘concessions’ and grace period were dreams come true. Many of our fellow Indians have utilized these concessions and changed their companies and employers. More than 150 major companies have come forward to recruit thousands of Indians. Many of our brothers are in the process of changing their companies. However, the time is now running out. We are only three weeks away from the deadline of July 3. I thank the entire Indian community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia particularly the large number of volunteers who joined hands with the Embassy in our efforts to achieve our target. While performing operations at this huge scale, it is natural that there will be glitches/errors, but it is our prime effort to ensure that such inadvertent mistakes remain within a manageable limit and do not affect our broader objectives. Our volunteers have been actively working everywhere - at the embassy, at Tarheels, airports, labour offices, schools, labour camps, small villages and even in remote locations in desert. They are continuing their efforts to reach out to all our brothers and sisters to educate them to utilize the ‘concessions’ before the end of grace period. A telephone call from the Embassy to check on their welfare means a lot to someone who has been staying away from their homeland and their family for many years. All Indians who submitted their EC applications received at least four to five telephone calls from the volunteers. This was an experience most of them never had in Saudi Arabia. On an average our volunteers make 4000 to 5000 telephone calls to our fellow Indians each day in Riyadh alone. I understand that spouses of many of our volunteers also joined their husbands in telephoning Indians in distress. Each phone call you made is bond of invisible togetherness that gave us strength. I could see the satisfaction on the face of each of those Indians who approached the Embassy, when they say that they came here because they received personal calls from “my” Embassy. They feel being cared for and attended to. The way we all broke the language barriers to get across our messages was amazing. All our press releases were translated to multiple languages in no time by our volunteers. So many multiple language booklets were prepared and distributed. Internet and social media were used effectively. I thank our Indian community schools all across Saudi Arabia for their commitment and support. I thank the media both English and vernacular for spreading our messages. The overwhelming and unwavering commitment from all around fills us all with an inspiration. It also provides us with much needed energy to continue good work. By June 20 we will complete all EC related work at the Embassy. We would have by then processed/delivered/renewed ECs of almost 99% of the applicants. We will process the rest of the requests in coming days. The Embassy is also in constant touch with concerned authorities in India on the developments in Saudi Arabia. I have written to all Chief Secretaries of State Governments to process the EC reference cases, where no documents were available. I have received some responses, others I hope would respond shortly. We are also issuing passports for those wanting to go for Tanazul in three days. I have shared our database with the Government of India and our State Governments. I have also alerted our Airlines and discussed with them the issue of additional flights and seats. We will continue to follow up on these issues. Many people ask about an extension of the July 3rd deadline. We are ready to meet the deadline. Our endeavour should be to continue our efforts to fully utilize the grace period. The Embassy has a clear database of the EC applications received, renewed and the Huroob passports distributed. The Embassy has already shared it with the authorities of this country and will continue to provide additional database in the coming days. For us now the focus is also at activities in Jawazat and Tarheels. There are many challenges ahead. All news that we hear may not be good. Our Embassy officers are at Tarheel and labour offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The Embassy has its limitation as a diplomatic mission. In cities like Dammam and in other provinces it is our volunteers who are providing valuable support. We need to act within the rules of Saudi Arabia. I urge more volunteers to come forward to join us in rendering assistance at Jawazats, Tarheels and labour offices all across Saudi Arabia. We have a commitment to help our brothers and sisters. We also have a standing invitation from the Saudi authorities to assist them, particularly in translation. I fully understand the frustration of those who go to Jawazats and Tarheels several times to check their status but not able to get a response. This pains me and this pains you. But we should not lose hope. Our concerns are regularly conveyed to the leadership of this country at appropriate levels during our regular interactions with Saudi authorities. I remain confident that the Saudi authorities would do the needful. There is no need for any panic reaction here or in India. My officers are present at Tarheels, Jawazats and airport to assist our fellow Indians in need. We are living in a foreign land, and we will obey the rules and regulations of this country. We Indians have a reputation of being a peace loving, law abiding and hard working community. We will maintain that reputation at any cost. We will not and should not lose hope come what may. I am confident that the humanitarian approach adopted by the leadership of this country will percolate down to the operational levels in the coming days. We will remain in constant touch on the way forward. So far we got it right. Together we have come so far. A streamlined and rule based Saudi labour market is in our interest. Our volunteers who joined hands with us during this crisis prove to be our strength. All that we did would not have been possible without the wholehearted efforts and support of our volunteers. There is an invisible but unbreakable bond that we have been able to develop while facing this crisis. We are in it for a long-term partnership. We will continue our engagement even after the end of the grace period. Our partnership will benefit our community during this crisis period and beyond. It remains a firm commitment of the Embassy to provide prompt services to all Indians in an effective manner, while working within the Saudi laws and regulations, and within our limited resources. We will continue our focus to achieve our immediate goal to help our brothers and sisters to successfully meet the deadline of July 3. Together we can and we will make it happen. Our invisible but unbreakable bond of unity takes us forward. ………………….. Ambassador’s Message May 28, 2013 ‘Keep up the Good Work’ It has been more than two weeks since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced a series of ‘concessions’ which allows overstaying expatriate workers to correct their legal status or to leave the country without facing penal action. I have been urging our community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to work towards fully utilizing these ‘concessions’ so that ‘no Indian is left uninformed in Saudi Arabia’. I am happy to note that our efforts have started yielding good results. The feedback I get is that all across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Indian community is involved in working towards achieving this goal. The thousands of telephone calls and emails that the Embassy receives even from smaller towns of this vast land indicate that our community is working together as a team to help each other. We have also made considerable progress in putting across our concerns to the Saudi authorities. The Saudi authorities have informed me that many Indians have availed the ‘concessions’ available for changing their jobs through the Ministry of Labour. Many have changed their professions and many have got new jobs. But we need to do more. Hon’ble External Affairs Minister Shri Salman Khurshid during his meetings with the leadership of the Kingdom this week thanked them for the ‘concessions’ offered. He discussed the welfare of the Indians in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince HRH Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Second Deputy Prime Minister HRH Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Foreign Minister HRH Prince Saud Al Faisal, Interior Minister HRH Prince Mohammad bin Naif and Minister of Labour HE Mr Adel Fakeih. He briefed the Saudi leadership on the efforts of the Indian community in fully utilizing these ‘concessions’. Today, I met the Governor of Riyadh Province HRH Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz to brief him on the progress we made in utilizing these ‘concessions’. We discussed all issues pertaining to the welfare of our community here. I had earlier met the Deputy Minister for Interior and briefed him on the difficulties that the community faces in availing the ‘concessions’ at the Javazat offices and Tarheels. My colleagues in the Embassy have been in constant touch with senior officials at the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Labour to get regular updates on the implementation of the ‘concessions’ and to sort out new issues that we confront routinely while availing these ‘concessions’. We will continue to maintain our contacts with the Saudi authorities at all levels to brief them on the difficulties that we face in availing these ‘concessions’. This is a work in progress. We need to double our efforts, channelize our resources and continue to work with full determination to ensure that we maintain the momentum generated and achieve our target within the stipulated time framework. Together we will be able to make it happen. I appreciate the immense contributions made by the volunteers on daily basis. They are giving their valuable time and energy to help their brothers in need. Many of our volunteers are working in groups and individually organizing small camps and briefing sessions all over the Kingdom. Many volunteers are visiting the Embassy regularly and work silently to help us update our database. Many are visiting Labour offices and Tarheels to assist Indians who need help. The fact that the Saudi authorities have requested the services of our volunteers indicate that the good work of our volunteers is well appreciated by the Saudi government. The translation/interpretation service offered by Indian volunteers all across the Kingdom is commendable. The media including the vernacular press is doing a great service to the Indians in Saudi Arabia. The Indian community schools here are helping the community by setting up help desks and EC application collection centers. I thank the members of the management committees of these schools, principals, teaching and non-teaching staff for their efforts. We have been able to reach out to many Indians through advertisement and fliers distributed through small business houses, labour camps, supermarkets, grocery shops, restaurants, saloons, market places, farms etc. I urge the volunteers to keep up their good work. We still have to go a long way. Next two weeks are crucial to our success. We hope to complete the process of issuing ECs to all those wanting to leave the country within the next two weeks. Then our focus would be on their ‘exit’ without facing any penal action. I have always urged that no money should be paid to anyone to get travel documents. I repeat this here again. The volunteers are undertaking non-remunerative and voluntary services. No money should be paid to anyone. The authorities of Saudi Arabia have also reiterated that no money should be paid at the Labour offices, Javazat offices and Tarheels to avail the ‘concessions’. The ‘exit’ from Saudi Arabia is free. No money should be paid to anyone outside Tarheels to get an ‘exit’. I urge the volunteers to spread this message all across the Kingdom among the Indian community. Please contact us through our helpline numbers 011 4884697, 011 4881982, 0501699879, 0501700106, 0501699895, 0501699894 at Embassy of India in Riyadh and 02-2611483, 02-2614093, 0596810574 at the Consulate in Jeddah. Please continue to send us emails. As mentioned in earlier messages, it may not be possible for the Embassy officials to reply to each of the thousands of e-mails that we receive every day. But we take note of each mail and take up the issues raised through the mails with the authorities concerned both in India and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We will do all that we can do to fully utilize the ‘concessions’ offered by the authorities here. This is an opportunity to correct the legal status or to leave the country without facing penal action. Let us avail this to the fullest possible. Thank you. Embassy of India Riyadh Ambassador’s Message “To reach out to Every Indian in Saudi Arabia” (Advisory to Indian Volunteers) We are in the middle of a major exercise to help every Indian national in Saudi Arabia to utilise fully the concessions that the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced recently to correct the legal status of expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia. The announcement of a series of concessions for expatriate workers to correct their resident and work permit status or to return to their country without penal action is a great opportunity for us to help our fellow Indians in distress. The Embassy expresses its sincere gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the announcement of these concessions and for giving three months grace period for expatriates to correct their status or to leave the country without facing penal action. I appreciate your registering with the Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah to do non-remunerative free voluntary service. We will continue to add names to the list of volunteers as we get more names. We are determined to work with you to make this mission a success. I also express my sincere gratitude to the media for their constructive reporting and also for their wholehearted efforts in spreading the messages from the Embassy across to all the Indians resident in Saudi Arabia. This is a mission in progress. Together we will make it succeed. General Advisory: To begin with, I would like all Indian volunteers to go through a presentation that the Saudi Ministry of Labour made to the Ambassadors on May 11, 2013. A copy of the presentation is available at indianembassy.org.sa and cgijeddah. This presentation details the way forward on most of the issues that our fellow Indians in distress face today. It also explains action to be taken in each of the categories of workers for correcting their legal status, get new jobs or to return to India. Any clarifications on this could be sought from the Embassy of India in Riyadh or the Consulate in Jeddah helpdesk or through email to [email protected] a copy to [email protected] or to cons@cgijeddah, welfare@cgijeddah, conscw@cgijeddah. Please also regularly check Embassy of India and Consulate General of India’s website and their Facebook page for updates. Embassy and Consulate may not be able to reply to all mails that it gets. But one can be rest assured that every mail is taken note of. The personnel of the Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah would try to remain in touch with you and also endeavour to visit you in your cities in coming weeks. But as a diplomatic mission, the Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah, have constraints. Both are bound to follow diplomatic norms and practices and respect the rules and laws of the host country. The Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah would not do anything that violates the rules and laws of Saudi Arabia. It is important to ensure that all the services that the Indian volunteers extend should be absolutely free. No fee should be charged for any services. The Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah have not authorised anyone to collect money. If you hear any volunteer or social worker charging any fee or money for their services from any one please bring this matter immediately to the attention of the Embassy or the Consulate. This may be communicated to [email protected] a copy to [email protected] or to cons@cgijeddah with a copy to cg@cgijeddah. Such persons will face action against them. The Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah have strengthened its 24 hour helpdesk with more people and more telephone lines. The telephone lines are 01 4884697, 01 4881982, 0501699879, 0501700106, 0501699895, 0501699894. Consulate General of India, Jeddah help line numbers are 02-2611483, 02-2614093, 0596810574. Saudi authorities continue to upgrade the services that are being offered by them. This includes e-services by Ministry of Labour to change the profession or check your status, and more services which are expected in coming days. The Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah will issue regular updates as they receive more information from the Saudi authorities on the various services. Saudi authorities have informed the Embassy that the Labour Offices across the Kingdom and Jawazat officers would be working overtime in coming weeks. We need to utilise these services. A list of major labour offices in Saudi Arabia along with the telephone numbers are uploaded on the Embassy, as well as the Consulate, website. Our volunteers could regularly visit the Labour offices and Jawazat offices in your cities and help the Indians who need assistance to seek transfer to new employer, change their profession or getting an exit. Our main objective is to reach out to each and every Indian in every remote location of Saudi Arabia and convey to them the importance of utilising the concessions announced by the Saudi authorities during the grace period which ends on July 3, 2013. Our motto should be ‘No Indian is left uninformed in Saudi Arabia’. Saudi Arabia is a big country with Indians spread across all over the country. We need to reach out to every place where Indians are present. We need to convey to every Indian present at small business houses, labour camps, supermarkets, grocery shops, restaurants, saloons, market places, farms etc on the concessions offered by the Government of Saudi Arabia. We need to also help our brothers and sisters in jails and deportation centres as well. Our volunteers need to help our brothers and sisters to overcome the constraints of language. All these have to be by respecting and obeying the Saudi laws and regulations. No one should violate any Saudi laws under any circumstances. We need to be always thankful to every Saudi official for the humanitarian approach the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia adopted in permitting those violating Saudi laws to correct their status or return to their homeland without any penal action. India has all categories of its citizens in this country, from domestic workers to top businessmen to super scientists. Many of the Indian workers in Saudi Arabia may not be aware of their legal status. They may be working here for years believing that their Iqama or work permit is valid. They need to be told to check their status and rectify their status if required. At least some of our brothers here need our help in understanding the issues and utilising the available concessions during the grace period. Many of our people are in a position to help their brothers and sisters in need. I urge all Indians who are in a position to help others to come forward and offer their assistance to the Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah and to the Indians in need. The main strength of the Indian expatriate community in Saudi Arabia is our peace loving and hard working nature. We are the most preferred community for Saudis at all levels for our hard work, discipline and law abiding nature. The volunteers should ensure that every Indian in Saudi Arabia continues to respect and obey Saudi laws and regulations and at no stage violate any Saudi laws. We should do everything to preserve and enhance this image well earned over decades and nothing which would adversely affect it. This is in your interest as well as those who continue to work here. India has very strong bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia. This relationship is further strengthened through regular exchanges at high levels. The visit of the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to India in January 2006 and the visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh to Saudi Arabia in February 2010 have led to both countries entering in a strategic partnership which covers cooperation in political, economic, defence and security areas. Our strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia is something we value greatly and want to strengthen it at all levels. We maintain a very high level of engagement with the leadership of this country. We will have more high level visits in coming weeks and months. All that we do in this country should be aimed at further strengthening our bilateral relationship with this country and none of our actions should be against this spirit. The Embassy remains in constant touch with the authorities in Saudi Arabia on issues of importance to the Indian community. All issues pertaining to the welfare of the community have been brought to the notice of the Saudi authorities during our regular meetings. Regular meetings have been held with the senior officials of Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Interior. The Embassy will continue to remain in touch with these Ministries for any follow up. During the grace period the Embassy, as well as the Consulate, has increased its working hours till 8.30 PM including Thursdays. The Embassy has also been seeking legal advice from reputed legal firms in Saudi Arabia to understand the labour laws of this country. It has recently short listed four legal firms for consultations and providing initial legal assistance on a case to case basis for Indians in Saudi Arabia. Embassy and Consulate have been approached by various Indian and Saudi companies offering jobs for Indian workers. The Embassy and the Consulate regularly update the list of such companies in its website. All volunteers are urged to regularly visit the website to see this list. The volunteers may help those Indians in need to get in touch with these companies to avail the job opportunities offered by them. The Embassy has also been approached by mega recruiting companies recently set up with the license of Ministry of Labour offering jobs to Indian workers. Their details are also published at the Embassy of India, as well as the Consulate, website. The volunteers may help those Indians in need to get in touch with these mega-recruiting companies to avail the job opportunities offered by them. Please also help the job seekers to verify the offers to ensure that they meet the Saudi rules and regulations and that the interests of the applicants are protected. The Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah cannot and will not get itself involved directly in the terms of employment contracts as it is a private matter between the employers and employees. We have only limited time. Those who do not rectify their status or leave the country during the grace period will face arrest, jail sentence and huge fines before their deportation from Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities have clearly told us that after the grace period, i.e. 3rd July 2013, the Ministry of Interior will start strict search to arrest all those who violate Saudi rules and laws. The concessions announced by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on May 10 cover residence and work permit violations which took place before April 6, 2013. It is important to ensure that no further violations by Indians take place under any circumstances. Any Indian planning to travel to Saudi Arabia for employment should ensure that the visas on which he travels to Saudi Arabia does not violate any rules of this country. There is no such thing called free-visas. It is also important to ensure that the firm which sponsors them meets all the laws and regulations of Saudi Arabia. The volunteers also need to generate awareness in India on the new rules and laws in Saudi Arabia. Thank You, Jai Hind. .................
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 07:29:00 +0000