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Free tickets likely for Indian workers stranded in KSA

April 6, 2013

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Riyadh, Apr 6: With top level talks planned between India and Saudi Arabia over the fallout of the Kingdom’s Nitaqat program, the Indian government is reportedly planning to provide free air tickets for thousands of “deserving workers” to go back home.

Oommen Chandy, chief minister of the southern Indian state of Kerala from where the majority of Indian workers in the Kingdom come, told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that the federal government in Delhi has responded to Kerala’s request to bear full ticker fares of expatriates in Saudi Arabia wishing to return to the state. He said Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi had informed the state that the federal government would take care of the expenses.

A high-level delegation from New Delhi led by Ravi is set to visit Saudi Arabia later this month to hold talks with Saudi officials and help workers in distress.

“The dates of minister Ravi’s visit have not been finalized,” said Sibi George, deputy chief of the Indian mission, when asked about reports in a section of the Indian press.

He added that the Indian Embassy has “not received any formal communication from New Delhi about the issue of free air tickets for deserving workers to return to India.” “Any formal communication takes some time to reach the embassy,” he added.

He pointed out that “more than 6,000 Indian workers have approached the embassy for emergency travel documents so far.” This is in addition to thousands of workers who have contacted the Jeddah-based Indian Consulate for outpasses. The embassy, he said, was receiving several requests for it to provide these out passes in various cities of Saudi Arabia.

“In order to help Indian nationals in other cities who wish to apply for emergency travel certificates, it has been decided that their applications will be received by the embassy by post or courier,” said George. Emergency certificates will be issued only after the Saudi authorities agree to grant permission for the final exit of the applicants, he added. He pointed out that the emergency certificate form can be downloaded for free from the embassy’s website.

He said an application form for an emergency certificate has to be accompanied by a copy of the applicant’s passport, residency permit and any other document to establish the person’s identity as an Indian national. It may be forwarded to EC Section, Embassy of India, B-1 Diplomatic Quarter, PO Box 94387, Riyadh 11693, Saudi Arabia. Indian nationals need not visit the embassy premises to submit the applications for emergency certificates, he stressed.

Referring to the concerns raised by the Indian government over the fate of workers, a report released by the Ministry of Overseas Affairs said that Ravi will hold a meeting of ministers from nine states to discuss the issue. Terming the issue as “serious,” Ravi said he has directed the Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao to do everything possible to help workers.

A delegation from the Indian state of Karnataka comprising K. Jayaprakash Hegde, MP, and U. T. Khader, MLA, are currently visiting Saudi Arabia. They held a meeting with the Indian ambassador here to discuss the issue of expatriates who are facing hardships. The Indian state of Kerala has the maximum number of workers in Saudi Arabia.

There are 6.5 million Indians in the Gulf, out of which close to 2.2 million are in Saudi Arabia. According to the World Bank, in 2012 Indians worldwide sent back remittances of $ 70 billion, with around 60 percent of it coming from those working in the Gulf. During 2011-12, the two-way trade between the two nations stood at about $ 37 billion. However, the trade surplus is in favor of Saudi Arabia because of crude oil exports to India.

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News Network
June 23,2020

Riyadh, Jun 23: Authorities in Saudi Arabia have decided to allow a limited number of citizens and residents who are already in the Kingdom to do this year’s Haj.

In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of Haj and Umrah said that in light of the continuation of the coronavirus pandemic and the risks of infections spreading in crowded spaces and large gatherings, it has been decided that Haj for this year (1441 H/ 2020 AD) will be held whereby a very limited number of pilgrims from various nationalities who already reside in Saudi Arabia, would be able to perform it.

“The decision was taken to ensure Haj is performed in a safe manner from a public health perspective while observing all preventative measures and the necessary social distancing protocols to protect human beings from the risks associated with this pandemic and in accordance with the teachings of Islam in preserving the lives of human beings, the statement added.

“The government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques is honored to serve millions of Haj and Umrah pilgrims annually and it confirms that this decision stems from the top priority it accords maintaining the safety of pilgrims on its land until they depart to their home countries.”

“We ask Allah the Almighty to protect all countries from this pandemic and keep all humans protected and safe, the statement said.

Saudi Arabia’s top priority is to always enable Muslim pilgrims to perform Haj and Umrah rites safely and securely and the Kingdom has been keen since the beginning of the pandemic to take all necessary precautionary measures to protect pilgrims, including by suspending the entry of Umrah pilgrims while ensuring the safety of the pilgrims already present at the holy sites, the statement further added.

Commenting on the Haj decision, the Saudi Human Rights Commission said that Saudi Arabia believes in the universal right to health. Limiting Haj not only protects the Kingdom but also many pilgrims and the communities they call home around the world.

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Agencies
July 28,2020

Dubai, Jul 28: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) (ADCB.AD) is letting go hundreds of employees, sources said, the latest in a round of lay-offs by regional banks as pressure mounts to cut costs amid lower oil prices and the coronavirus crisis.

The UAE’s third-biggest lender is laying off 400 employees, two sources familiar with the matter said, after it had committed to not cutting staff because of the crisis.

In a statement, a spokesman said ADCB had pursued efficiency over the last decade by managing out its lowest underachievers after regular reviews, while ensuring talent was deployed in high-growth areas, such as digital banking.

“A certain number of redundancies are therefore expected every year in the normal course of business,” the bank spokesman added.

The sources said the cuts would involve ADCB’s consumer business and several in top management were among those being let go. One source said the bank was looking to close 20 branches.

In March, ADCB had declared, “No employee will be made redundant during 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

UAE banks have been hit by government measures to rein in the spread of the virus, forcing many businesses to shut temporarily.

Last week, Dubai’s largest bank, Emirates NBD, reported a slump of 58% in profits. In June, sources told Reuters the bank started a new round of hundreds of lay-offs.

In May, ADCB reported a fall of 84% in first-quarter net profit as it took impairments of $292 million on debt exposure to troubled hospital operator NMC Health and payments group Finablr.

It was a major lender, with an exposure of about $981 million, to NMC Health, which went into administration this year after months of turmoil following questions over financial reporting.

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News Network
March 11,2020

Mar 11: Energy giant Saudi Aramco on Wednesday said it plans to raise its crude production capacity by one million barrels per day to 13 million bpd as a price war with Russia intensifies.

"Saudi Aramco announces that it received a directive from the ministry of energy to increase its maximum sustainable capacity from 12 million bpd to 13 million bpd," the company said in a statement to the Saudi Stock Exchange.

The decision comes a day after the world's top exporter, Saudi Arabia, decided to hike production by at least 2.5 million bpd to a record 12.3 million from April.

The Saudi moves come after the collapse of an oil production reduction agreement between OPEC and non-OPEC producers, including Russia.

The deal proposed by Saudi Arabia called for additional output cuts of 1.5 million bpd to cope with the severe economic impact of the coronavirus which has sharply reduced world demand for crude.

Boosting production capacity normally takes a long time and requires billions of dollars of investment.

Several years ago, the kingdom had shelved plans to boost its crude production capacity beyond 12 million bpd after demand for OPEC oil declined in the face of stiff competition from North American shale oil and other sources.

Russia on Tuesday said it was open to renewing cooperation with the OPEC cartel even as its kingpin Saudi Arabia escalated a price war with Moscow by announcing it would flood markets with new supplies.

The oil price war broke out after OPEC and a group of non-member countries dominated by Russia -- the world's second largest producer -- on Friday failed to agree on production cuts.

Saudi Arabia responded by announcing unilateral price cuts. This prompted the oil price to plummet and fuelled huge falls on stock markets around the world on Monday.

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