Now, renew Indian passport on the same day it is applied

On the occasion of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or Non-Resident Day (NRI) on January 9 when hundreds of members of the Indian community gathered at the Consulate General of India, the consulate announced that beginning from January 12, residents will be able to renew their passports on the same day it is applied for.
Consul General of India in Dubai, Vipul said until now passport renewal under tatkaal scheme (that allows quick dispensation of passport in cases of emergency) would take 24 hours. " However, keeping in mind emergency cases where expats have to return from the airport due to expired passports or due to not enough validity for them to travel, we have now introduced same day issuance of tatkal passports provided it is applied for before 12 noon."
He said this service can be availed only at the office of BLS International at Al Khaleej Centre in Bur Dubai.
Talking about the number of passports and other certificates offered by the Indian consulate in the past year, CG Vipul said that the consulate issued over 200,000 passports, over 2,500 emergency certificates, helped around 1,000 people in terms of providing them with air tickets and sustenance here and helped in sending back over 80 mortal remains.
Present on the occasion was also the new Indian Ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor who along with CG Vipul felicitated the former Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardees and six students who have been high achievers.
The students' awards were named after Bharat Bhai Shah, a former Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardee who passed away on May 25, and Maghanmal Jethanand Pancholia, who died as the oldest Indian business leader on September 2. Two of the students were honoured for topping in in the CBSE and ICSE board in the UAE, third high achiever was a swimming champion, the fourth awardee was a girl student who has won international awards for yoga and another boy who topped in the Mathematics Olympiad in the UAE. One last award was given to a determined one who won bronze medal in Special Olympics held in Abu Dhabi last year.
Vipul urged community members of Dubai to think about forming an association as it can help support a lot of their compatriots in need.
saman@khaleejtimes.com