Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

COVID-19: Relief, rehabilitation sought for Indians returning home from the UAE

COVID-19: Relief, rehabilitation sought for Indians returning home from the UAE

Pravasi Legal Cell petitions Indian government to provide financial support

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) living in the UAE have submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Finance, Government of India (GoI), seeking compensation and a rehabilitation scheme for returning Indian nationals from the UAE.

A formal letter (a copy of which is with Gulf News) has been sent out to Indian authorities by the Pravasi Legal Cell (PLC) — a registered non-governmental organisation (NGO) comprising judges, advocates, social activists and other Indians.

The letter addressed to Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s Minister of Finance, reads: “We wish to bring to your knowledge that PLC has filed many public interest law-suits (PILs), considering the challenging times, before the Supreme Court. The petitions we filed have sought repatriation of Indians stranded in GCC countries ...”

Sreedharan Prasad, PLC country head, UAE, said: “In the letter, we have urged the government of India to utilise the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) for bearing the expenses of poor migrants who are unable to travel to their home country due to lack of funds.”

As per recent reports, more than 8.78 lakh Indians have returned from abroad under the Vande Bharat Mission.

In a strongly-worded letter, the PLC has asked the Indian government to provide investment opportunities to returning citizens of the country as most of them have suffered a job loss in the UAE. The NRIs also asked the government to provide financial support to expatriates whose family members have died of COVID-19 in the UAE.

“Besides, we want to make sure Indians are not made to run from pillar to post for getting approvals to begin a new venture in India. Things should be made simpler for returning expats,” said Prasad.

Prasad said, “The attempt should be to limit human interference to the maximum in securing clearance approvals, as that will avoid delay and corruption. We also want the Indian government to direct all banks to provide loans at low interest rates to expatriates who have plausible business models to start in the country. The government should provide them with incentives to start their manufacturing units in the country,” said Prasad who is an active social worker in the UAE.

Other proposals in the letter


Need to encourage expats to invest in agriculture, education and health sectors, primarily in India.

Entrust an authority to formulate a database of all returning expatriates. This database must mandatorily highlight the skills of each returning expatriate.

The government must use its influence and diplomatic relations to open new job avenues for Indians in popular destinations.

The government must allot funds for starting counselling centres across the county, which would specifically cater to the expat Indian community. The centres should not be restricted to providing counselling for alleviating mental stress, but it should be equipped to provide details of new job opportunities and also ways to hone their existing skills.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×