Delhi-Abu Dhabi works together towards the welfare of Indian Expatriates in UAE

Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri V. Muraleedharan paid an official three-day visit to the UAE from 19th-21st January 2021. The visit witnessed extensive discussions with UAE dignitaries on expanding the strategic partnership between both the countries in the areas of trade, investment, and IT connectivity. Further, the bilateral visit laid special emphasis on addressing the key issues and welfare measures for the Indian community in the UAE.

During the visit, Shri Muraleedharan visited the Indian Association Ajman, where he carried out an interactive dialogue with the Indian workers in UAE and appreciated their role in building strong Indo-UAE relations. After the interactive session, the minister launched ‘Pravasi Bhartiya Sahayta Kendra’ – mobile app as a welfare initiative by the Government of India to ensure Indian expatriates a better way to connect & communicate to the Consulate General of India, Dubai, and Embassy of India in UAE and provide updated information to the user at fingertips. Further, as the minister inaugurated the office of Indian People Forum in Ajman, he urged all the community organizations to work closely for the welfare of Indian expatriates in UAE and therefore enhance the ties between Delhi and Abu Dhabi in the coming times. 

To handle the challenges of the job market in post-pandemic times, the Indian Consulate in Dubai rolled out a free training and skill development project intending to improve employability and productivity of the Indian blue-collar workers in UAE. The ‘Upskilling’ initiative aligns with the vision of “skill, reskill & upskill” as believed by Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. V. Muraleedharan quoted this as he appreciated and encouraged the Indian Consulate’s initiative at the inauguration ceremony of the ‘Upskilling Centre’, thus boosting India’s roadmap to equip its workers in UAE with new skills in accord with the globalized demands. 

Indo-UAE relations continues to be an amalgamation of cooperativeness and close coordination, as India serves to be a vital source of human capital for UAE, with a workforce of more than 3 million Indians. Whereas the Indian expatriates bring back their earning to India in the form of remittance, thus serving a crucial source for India’s BOP. Hence, recent bilateral initiatives can be seen as “necessary steps” as both countries aim to revive their economy in the post-COVID era. It should be noted that the initiatives of ‘Upskilling’ and ‘PBSK app’ will serve as a medium to allow the Indian workers in UAE to access better employment options in term of job quality and salary and provide them with security, accessibility & awareness, respectively. Thus, not only improving the worker’s quality of life but boosting the economy of both countries.