Special

Sharjah: Special needs individuals will now get special treatment at passport service centres in the UAE, Indian Ambassador to the UAE Dr. Deepak Mittal has announced. Such individuals will be able to visit the service centres directly for passport services, advance appointments will be waived and priority will be given to them, he said. Senior citizens will also get priority service at the counters.He was speaking at an interactive session with the Indian community organised by the Sharjah Indian Association. Indian Consulate (Culture) Consul Joydeep Mohanty was present at the event.Association President Nisar Talankara presided over the meeting. General Secretary Sriprakash Purayath welcomed the event. Treasurer Shaji John proposed a vote of thanks.The meeting was also attended by officials of various Indian associations in the Northern Emirates, as well as officials of Indian Social Centres in Ajman, Fujairah, Khorfakkan and Kalba.He particularly appreciated the smooth provision of passport and consular services to the community and the support provided by the Indian Association to the Sharjah Consulate.The Indian community in the UAE has doubled in size in the last decade. The Ambassador also pointed out that the Indian diaspora in the UAE has become the largest expatriate Indian community outside India.He described the establishment of the first IIT and IIM campuses outside the country in Abu Dhabi and Dubai as a major milestone in this growth.The Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas celebrations to be held in January should see a strong participation of the expatriates in the UAE.He called for every member of society to work together to lead the country towards the goal of Vikasit Bharat 2047. He expressed confidence that India’s vibrant and dynamic youth generation will play a great role in this growth.Giving importance to the concept of the Year of Family, we should establish friendship with Emirati families. He also reminded that good friendships should be developed between the Emirati and Indian youth to further strengthen Indo-Arab relations.Many expatriates participated in the interactive session held at the Sharjah Indian Association Community Hall.
​The program witnessed great enthusiasm from the community. Puthur Rahman, Rajeev Pillai, Mathukutty, Adv Y A Rahim,
Vahid Nattika,
Ajay,
Farzana,
Vinod Mulleri,
Adv Aji Kuriakose, and many other expatriates from various walks of life directly interacted with the Ambassador and shared their issues, opinions and doubts. He assured that serious interventions would be made on the issues raised.He visited the Al Hind Passport and Consular Services Service Center, which started its operations at the Sharjah Indian Association, and assessed its activities.