Indians in UAE question merger of ministries

Dubai - They say the move may result in less prominence in addressing the issues faced by ordinary expats.

Many Indian associations and social workers in the UAE have objected to the merger of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
They say the move may result in less prominence in addressing the issues faced by ordinary expats and add more burden to the already short-staffed Indian diplomatic missions.
The Government of India announced its decision to merge the two ministries at the first limited edition of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas held in New Delhi this weekend.
Sushma Swaraj, who heads both the ministries, announced the plan citing that most of the works of the diaspora ministry were being done through the foreign ministry. In line with the Narendra Modi government's "overall objective of minimising government and maximising governance," officials said the decision will help government address duplication as well as unnecessary delays in various works.
However, many social workers and community associations in the UAE have raised their concerns about the move. Some of them also issued statements in Indian media to air their protest.
"The right action would have been to streamline the ministry's work and make it more proactive for and interactive with the ordinary Indian expatriates.instead of merging it with the foreign ministry whose missions are already short-staffed," said Puthur Rahman, the president of Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC)'s UAE national committee.
He said the best example of how things may change for worse for the Indian expats was the way the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was held this time.
The annual three-day meet of the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) was scaled down to a one-day affair with very less participation from the expatriate community. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the highest recognition for contribution of NRIs, was revoked too.
Also, community members alleged the video-conferencing facility beamed at diplomatic missions including the Indian Consulate in Dubai was a stage-managed affair. It was a closed-door event with the participation of only some heads of community organisations and business leaders invited by the mission. Media was not invited and chosen participants were allowed to ask questions prepared in advance by the mission.
"There was no provision for a discussion of the issues or for asking questions other than that were prescribed already," said Rahman, who is also the president of the Indian Social Club in Fujairah.
Another representative of an Indian expats association said the MOIA was the apt channel for taking up issues related to the welfare of the blue-collar workers though it lacked the diplomatic power.
The MOIA had posted counsellors for community affairs only in the UAE and the US to streamline the activities of the ministry."The expat community which sends home the largest remittance amount definitely deserves a ministry of its own," he said.
Fears Allayed
However, Indian officials in the UAE allayed fears of the community members. Indian Ambassador to the UAE T.P. Seetharam said the community members should not worry about any reduction in services. "In fact...they should be expecting better services and better coordination," he told Khaleej Times.
Dinesh Kumar, First Secretary (Community Affairs) who is currently under the MOIA, said: "Whether with MOIA or MEA, we are working for the Government of India to help overseas Indians.Now, I will be doing the same work in coordination with other MEA officers.and the concerns of overseas Indians will be appropriately taken care of."
He said no major changes in the schemes and policies of the MOIA are expected when the ministry will merge with the MEA.
sajila@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE