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19 March 2024

UAE amnesty: Kerala will refund fees for Malayalees; India envoy waives fees without Delhi's OK

Indian Ambassador MK Lokesh at the press meet (SUPPLIED)

Published
By VM Sathish

In the event when Indian amnesty seekers leaving the UAE are forced to use their last penny to process documents in order to avail of the amnesty scheme as the government of India is yet to respond to emergency appeals, the Indian ambassador here has done his bit for Indian nationals.

MK Lokesh has announced that he has decided to waive off Dh10 in his personal capacity, even as he awaits to hear from his government back home to reduce service charges for issuing certificates mandatory to apply for amnesty here.

Speaking to the media, Lokesh said he is helpless to do more as his office is yet to receive a response from the concerned government departments. “As soon as the amnesty scheme was announced, I wrote to the government to waive off part of the fees for issuing emergency certificates. So far there is no response and I am not in a position to take any action without getting an order from New Delhi,” he said.

Meanwhile, those availing the amnesty scheme continue to pay Dh69 to Dh100 and more, depending on the services they avail from the out sourced company. They are even charged Dh10 for SMS and courier charges.

“In my personal capacity, I have taken a decision not to impose Dh 10 charges from amnesty seekers. In future my decision can be questioned, but I have taken the responsibility of helping the destitute Indians,” the ambassador said

Various community associations and political groups have appealed to the Indian government to use a part of ICWF fund [Dh10 collected Indian nationals visiting the Embassy or Consulate for availing consular services is added to the Indian Community Welfare Fund] for the welfare of amnesty seekers.

The ambassador expects 95 per cent of the amnesty seekers to pay for their own air tickets. “The Indian mission will help really needed amnesty seekers. It is the peak travel season for them and they are not keen to reduce the rates. We have appealed to them to arrange special flights, if required to transport amnesty seeking Indians,” said Lokesh.

He said only 213 Indians have so far approached BLS centres under the amnesty scheme, and added that most of them may be waiting until the last minute.

The ambassador urged the Indian community to avail the amnesty scheme, and warned that heavy fines and penalties await those who choose to remain illegally in the UAE. Majority of the 2 million-odd Indians in the UAE are law-abiding citizens, he added.

Meanwhile, a senior official from the Indian Consulate said, “People who do not have passports or any other valid documents can bring a nativity certificate issued by the district collector or senior police officials, ration cards, driving licenses or voters identity cards to prove their Indian citizenship.

Those who do not have any of these documents can get in touch with their relatives back home.”

About 50,000 Indians availed the last amnesty scheme in 2007 and 30,000 Indians regularised their visa status.

Kerala Government will refund amnesty fees for Malayalis

The Government of Kerala will reimburse Dh60 charged by the Government of India charged from the poor amnesty seekers for issuing an out pass, ‘Emirates24|7’ can reveal.

Even as the plea for help from the Indian community associations not to charge money from the poor destitute Indians did not elicit any response from the Manmohan Singh government, the Ommen Chandy Government in Kerala has just issued a government order to the effect that Indian currency equivalent of Dh69 will be reimbursed from the help desks in three international airports in the state.

In effect, the Kerala government is returning to the poor what the country’s Central government is taking away from the poor amnesty seekers.

Recently passport application fee was hiked up three times and as a result the Dh20 charged for outpasses last year has gone up to Dh60 this year.

Recently passport application fee was hiked by three times, thereby, the out-pass fee that was just Dh20 last year has risen to Dh69 this year.

Amnesty seekers who have already paid Dh69 can now collect the refund from any of the three airports - Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Karippur - in the state, senior officials from the Norka Roots said. “Transport facilities to take returning Indians to their homes are also arranged.”

The Government has already issued a notification to the effect and that help desk and other rehabilitation packages are also announced to help the destitute Indians returning home availing the amnesty scheme, announced by the UAE Government.

Indian Ambassador to the UAE, MK Lokesh, however, does not see a large number of Keralites availing the amnesty. So far 250 Indians have applied for out passes and only 26 are Keralites.

The ambassador said, “Fifty per cent amnesty seekers in 2007 were from Andhra Pradesh. And this time too workers from the state would be the largest. There are also applicants from Punjab, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Keralites seem to be the most vocal people. Even though their numbers are few, they make the most noise.”

Norka plans to rehabilitate returnees by giving them Rs1,0000 to Rs3,00000 to start projects. Arrangements are also made by Kerala Government to issue 1,000 air tickets to Keralite amnesty seekers through the Indian embassy.