National Mission for  Clean Ganga Project -  Nirmal Ganga Bhagidaari

          The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), Government of India, New Delhi has been making consistent efforts to enhance economic engagement with our community and to promote philanthropy by the Indian Diaspora to social and development projects in India. While for strengthening economic engagement with diaspora, the Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC) has been set up by this Ministry (MOIA) in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the India Development  Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDF-OI) has been set up by the MOIA to promote the philanthropy by our community to projects in India.

2.      In order to expedite the above, IDF-OI and OIFC are both working on the project of National Mission for Clean Ganga Project (NMCG) which has been captioned as NIRMAL GANGA BHAGIDAARI. The advertisement issued by NMCG giving all required details is attached. All Indian Community members who are interested in investing in projects as listed in the advertisement or any other form of economic engagement are requested to contact IDF-OI & OIFC for further information.

Recruitment of Indian Nurses

You are aware that to streamline the recruitment of Indian nurses for work in Kuwait with effect from 30 April 2015, the Government of India decided to restrict the recruitment of nurses through the following three State-run recruiting agencies:

 

a)   Non-Resident Keralites’ Affairs Department (NORKA-ROOTS), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala;

b)   Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants Ltd. (ODEPC), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala; and

c)   Overseas Manpower Corporation Limited (OMCL), Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

2.      The Government of India has also decided earlier this month that these recruitment agencies which are authorized to recruit Indian nurses will not charge any fees towards recruitment expenses from Indian nurses.  Such cost, if any, shall be met by the concerned agencies in Kuwait on mutually agreed terms.  Moreover, foreign employers in Kuwait will not recover any amount towards the cost of recruitment from Indian nurses, initially or subsequently, during their contract.

3.      The Government has decided today (14 May 2015) to make one-month relaxation with regard to emigration clearance, that is, Indian nurses coming for work in Kuwait till 30 May 2015 would not require any emigration clearance.

e-Tourist Visa Facility - Indian Embassy

In pursuance of the announcement made on March 14, 2015 by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, the Embassy of India is pleased to inform that the e-Tourist Visa (eTV) scheme is extended to nationals of 45 countries with effect from Tuesday, April 15, 2015.  e-Tourist Visa Facility is available for holders of passport of following countries: Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Guyana, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru,  New Zealand, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, USA, Vanuatu & Vietnam.  Kuwaiti nationals are not included in eTV facility.

2.      The new scheme will be in addition to the existing visa services.  Foreign nationals of above 45 countries holding Diplomatic / Official passports cannot avail of the eTV scheme. International Travellers having Pakistani passports or of Pakistani origin are not eligible for this facility.

 

3.      The eTV can be utilized by all foreign Nationals holding ordinary passports whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives, short duration medical treatment or casual business visit. The applicant should not have a residence or occupation in India. The applicant should hold a passport with at least six months validity from the date of arrival in India.

 

4.      It may be noted that visa will not be issued on arrival without ETA. Applicants have to apply and obtain ETA online prior to undertaking travel to India. This process will take a minimum of 4 working days.

 

5.      The eTV will be for single-entry, and valid for only 30 days stay from the date of arrival in India. The eTV will be non-extendable, non-convertible and not valid for visiting Protected /Restricted and Cantonment Areas. Entry into India must be through any of the following 9 designated airports only - Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram. However, exit can be through any authorized Immigration Check Post (ICP) in India. Entry into India must be undertaken within 30 days from the date of approval of ETA. The eTV facility cannot be availed of more than twice in a calendar year.

 

6.      The applicant should carry a printed copy of ETA along with him / her at the time of travel. He / she should have a return / onward journey ticket, with sufficient money to spend during his/her stay in India.

 

7.      Biometric details of the applicant will be captured at Immigration on arrival in India.

 

8.      There is a special fee of US$ 60 per person (plus an interchange charge of US$ 2 for credit / debit cards) for the new scheme. This fee must be paid before the application can be processed, and once paid, the fee is non-refundable.

 

 

How to apply for ETA

 

9.       Applicants should apply online at:

 https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html

 Each applicant must have a separate passport (international travel documents shall not be accepted). Applications by individuals endorsed on parent’s/ spouse’s passport shall not be accepted.

 

10.    The application process requires uploading the scanned page of the passport containing the photo and personal details like name, date of birth, nationality, expiry date, etc., in PDF format (10 KB to 300 KB).

 

11.    The application process also requires the uploading of a recent front-facing digital photograph with plain white background, in JPEG format (10 KB to 1 MB). The head should be centred within the frame and present the full head, from top of hair to bottom of chin. The photograph should not have any shadow on the face or on the background, and should not have any border. The height and width of the photograph must be equal.

 

12.    The application is liable to be rejected if the uploaded document and photograph are not clear and as per specification.

 

13.    The fee can be paid through Credit or Debit card. If there are more than three unsuccessful payment attempts, the application ID would be blocked & the application has to be made afresh, with a new application ID.

 

14.    A decision on the application will be conveyed by email. Applicants are advised to ensure that correct e-mail address is provided. Applicants can track the status of their application online by clicking visa status.

 

15.    For any assistance call 24 x 7 visa support center at +91-11-24300666 or send email to indiatvoa@gov.in

 

16.    The process of ETA issuance is completely online, and the Embassy of India will be unable to assist in expediting the issuance of ETAs. However, in case the eTV application is rejected, the applicant may apply afresh for issue of a regular visa.

 

National Pension System (NPS) for Non Resident Indians (NRIs)

The Government of India has launched the National Pension System (NPS) for the benefit of 10 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) so as to provide old age security to Indians, both in India and abroad.

2.       While most NRIs remit a large part of their earnings to India, in the form of bank deposits, share investments, real estate acquisitions etc., unfortunately very little is saved for old age financial security.  It is in this context that the National Pension System (NPS) has been launched by the Government of India (GOI) and supervised by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), New Delhi.

3.       Although NPS was initially launched for government and semi-government employees w.e.f. 1 January 2004, it has now been made available to every Indian citizen from May 2009 on a voluntary basis. The scheme is open to all citizens of India, whether resident or non-resident between 18-60 years of age. Till 31 March 2015, the NPS had a total of 8.5 million subscribers and manages around Rs. 80,000 crore of funds.

4.       The NPS is a well regulated and transparent scheme. It is portable across geographies and employments. It being technology driven, subscribers can view their accounts online. It has laid down prudent investing norms for the fund managers, and their performance and portfolios are regularly monitored by the NPS Trust and under the overall supervision of the PFRDA, the statutory regulator. The scheme offers complete flexibility to investors in terms of choice of investment mix. The investor decides the percentage of the corpus that goes into equities, corporate bonds and government securities, with the only limitation being that there is a 50% cap on the exposure to equities. Hailed as one of the lowest cost pension products in the world, its returns have generally outperformed the market. The returns under the Citizen scheme, which would be applicable to NRIs, are given below:

Returns on Annual compounding basis on the various schemes

under NPS since inception

	Compound Annual Growth Rate (Since inception)
Scheme	For the period ending 31.03.2014	For the period ending 30.09.2014
E (Equity)	9.20%	12.84%
C (Corporate Debt)	10.53%	10.84%
G (Govt. Securities)	7.93%	8.79%
Pvt. Sector Overall (Weighted Average)	7.67%	9.15%

5.       For more details on the NPS, Mrs. Sumeet Kaur Kapoor, General Manager, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), New Delhi can be contacted either by e-mail at sumeet.kapoor@pfrda.org.in or by telephone at +91-11-26897937. Details on the NPS are also available on PFRDA’s website: www.pfrda.org.in.

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Indian Embassy  Help Desk  services and contacts

The Embassy would like to inform that there is an Emergency number 22530600 during office hours and even beyond normal office hours/weekends. During the office hours, one needs to know the extension number of the concerned Wing which may be dialed immediately after hearing the automatic recorded voice. The extension number of the concerned section/wing is available on the link of 24/7 Emergency contact (Embassy Website). Even if anyone does not know the extension, then caller is attended  by the Receptionist who can then connect him/her to the concerned desk. Besides, the Embassy has many officials and local staff who speak the various regional languages whose names are already there on the Embassy Website along with their contact details and mail-IDs.

2.         The Embassy has drawn up a list of officials who can be approached for assistance in different Indian languages apart from Hindi and English. The main objective is to help the members of our community who are not able to convey their problems due to language problem. The list of such officials with their contact details are placed below. Members of Indian community are requested to make use of this initiative of the Embassy

Indian Language Skills in Embassy of India. Kuwait (other than Hindi/English) i)         Malayalam S.No. Name Designation Telephone No. 1 Shri Balram Kumar Upadhyay Counsellor 22533125 Mob:97224029 2 Smt. Sunila Krishnan Attache (LabourI) 22530409 Mob: 97264247 3 Shri M. Sudheendran Local Clerk Mob: 99183576 4 Shri Mujib Kollorath Local Clerk Mob: 97610246 5 Shri Justin James Local Clerk Mob: 94476852 ii)        Telugu S.No. Name Designation Telephone No. 1 Smt. Thriveni Reddy Local Clerk Mob: 97108538 2 Smt. Deena Ratnam Local Clerk Mob: 66560773 3 Shri K.S.S. Naidu Local Clerk Mob: 66442433 iii)       Tamil S.No. Name Designation Telephone No. 1 Smt. Sunila Krishnan Attache ( Labour ) 22530409 Mob: 97264247 2 Shri Sajan Varghese Local Clerk 22550725 Mob: 99896053 iv)       Bengali / Assamese / Oriya S.No. Name Designation Telephone No. 1 Shri Shubashis Goldar Deputy Chief of Mission 22510891 Mob: 97229942 v)        Kannada S.No. Name Designation Telephone No. 1. Ms. Sarita Shetty Local clerk Mob. 97983059

All Indian nationals are advised to use the above facilities.

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Holiday Notice

The Embassy of India shall remain closed on the following day during the month of April 2015:-

14 April 2015 Tuesday-Birthday of Dr. Ambedkar.

However, on above day, the Embassy will continue to provide Emergency services in the Consular and Visa section.

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Proposed Recruitment of Indian Nurses For Work In Kuwait

The Government of India  has issued instructions on 12 March 2015 that with effect from 30 April 2015, the recruitment of Indian nurses for employment in Kuwait will be restricted through State-run recruiting agencies, viz., NORKA (Non-Resident Keralites’ Affairs Department)-ROOTS and ODEPC (Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants Ltd), Kerala. Furthermore, from the date above, the emigration of Indian nurses for overseas employment in all 18 ECR countries, including Kuwait, will require emigration clearance from Protector of Emigrants Offices in India.

2.         It has also been decided that foreign employers who seek to recruit Indian nurses will register from 30 April 2015 onwards in the e-Migrate system (being introduced by the Embassy) for vetting by the Embassy. Thereafter, foreign employers can raise demand for Indian nurses on e-Migrate system with the terms and conditions of their employment. On scrutiny of documents, the attestation/approval would be done by the Indian Embassy on-line basis.

3.         The proposed recruitment of Indian nurses for work in Kuwait through State-run manpower agencies in India, viz., NORKA-ROOTS and ODEPC will help in establishing a fair and transparent mechanism for recruitment of Indian nurses for work in Kuwait.

Touts and Minimum Wages For Indian Labourers

Beware of Touts

The Embassy regrets to inform that some Indian touts hang around its premises trying to cheat and mislead our nationals. All Indian nationals are advised to ignore these touts who are often seen hanging in the vicinity of Embassy premises. For any assistance/query w.r.t. passport, visa, attestation services, please contact the Embassy Officer on duty in the meeting room on all working days from 1000-1100 hrs and 1430-1530 hrs

 

At present the minimum wages for Indian labourers (both technical and non technical/farm workers) working in Private Sector (Visa No. 18) range from KD 70 to KD 80 per month.

After analyzing the labour market situation in the region, it has been decided to revise the Minimum Referral Wage to KD 100 per month for labourers/farm workers (including similar categories) with immediate effect. 

The aforementioned minimum wage will continue to remain exclusive of accommodation, food and other amenities stipulated in the Kuwaiti laws and regulations.  The revision of wages of other categories of workers in Private Sector will be announced later.  

 MINIMUM WAGES FOR INDIAN DOMESTIC WORKERS

At present the minimum wages for Indian domestic workers, houseboys/cooks and house drivers (holders of Visa No. 20) range from KD 70 to 75 per month. 

2.       After studying the labour-market situation in the region, it has been decided to revise the minimum referral wage in the employment contracts being attested by the Embassy to Kuwaiti Dinar 100 per month with effect from 1 March 2015 for all Indian domestic workers coming to Kuwait on Visa No. 20.     The aforementioned minimum wage will continue to remain exclusive of accommodation, food and other amenities stipulated in the Kuwaiti laws and regulations.

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WELFARE MEASURE FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

        

Hiring of the Auditorium at the Embassy of India, Kuwait

              The Embassy has been making available its Auditorium for social, artistic and cultural events since January 2014 to various Indian Associations at a nominal charge.  The user charge is being revised as some of the services needed have been outsourced for better quality.  The revised change is as under:

Item	Cost without food being served	Cost with food being served
Basic charge for the Auditorium	KD150	KD200
Cost of cleaning (payable to Kuwait Swedish Cleaning Co.)	KD 75	KD 75
Cost of hiring two Local Security Guards (payable to G4S Security)	KD 48	KD 48
Honorarium to four local staff involved in events	KD 27	KD 27
Total	KD300	KD350

              The above cost structure is for one programme of 4-hour duration.  In addition, a refundable Security deposit of KD100 is required to be paid per programme.  In case the Auditorium is required for a longer duration than 4-hour, additional user charge is to be paid.

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 Suggestions and Clarifications -Indian Embassy

The Embassy would like to respond to the various suggestions/remarks which have been received on “Indians in Kuwait” to further improve the services of the Embassy:-

S.No	Suggestion/Remark	Response
1.	To provide a needful help for domestic workers.	Regarding domestic workers who are treated very badly in Kuwait, the Embassy would like to inform that there is a dedicated Labour Wing which looks after the Indian community. The Embassy has been regularly taking up the issue of ill-treatment of domestic workers with the local authorities. The Embassy is providing shelters to distressed male & female domestic workers
2.	To pay for services by Debit and Credit cards	The Embassy has already introduced a system of paying by Debit cards. There is an option to pay either through cash or K-net facility.
3.	To reduce/cancel Indian Public Holidays	There is a system in place to facilitate the work of the people who come for Consular Services on all Gazetted Holidays and also on week-ends. But due to the sensitivities involved, the Embassy cannot cancel Indian Holidays.
4.	Rent for accommodation is increasing day by day.	The Embassy cannot interfere in the matter of rent for accommodation because we have to follow the law of the land.
5.	Allow NRIs to apply for PAN & Aadhar cards.	The Embassy is working out modalities with the concerned authorities in India so that the NRIs can apply for PAN & Aadhar cards. But this will take some time.
6.	Stopping of Indian house maids to Kuwait	Indian housemaids are continuing to come to Kuwait for work through private recruitment agencies over which Ministry of Overseas Indians (MOIA), Government of India has limited control.
7.	Opening of an Indian Bank and NRI quota in various Exams.	The Embassy cannot do anything as regards opening of an Indian bank and NRI quota in UPSC and PSC exams.
8.	Additional counters in the Embassy for quicker Consular Services.	To improve our services, the Embassy is exploring the possibilities of increasing its staff strength to improve our consular services and increased work pressure. Number of working hours (8 hours) cannot be increased.
9.	Introduce E-voting from Kuwait	Being examined for implementation.
10.	Reduce fees of various consular services like Visa, Passport, Attestation etc.	With regard to various charges for Consular services, the Embassy has no control as these are  fixed all over the world as per the orders of the Government of India.
11.	Reduction of charges for correspondence courses.	The charges for correspondence courses are perceived to be expensive as Courier and Postal charges outside India are very high, apart from  over-head expenses.
12	Sale of Indian Postal Stamps and Revenue stamps in the Mission	The Embassy is examining the possibility of the sale of Indian Postal stamps and Revenue stamps.
13.	Training embassy staff and to be polite in public dealing.	Training of staff is a continuous process and everyone in the Mission have been advised to be courteous and polite so that the public feels comfortable. Contact details of the staff are available on the Website under heading of “Embassy Team and its Tasks”.
14.	Lack of Parking space in front of Indian Embassy	Regarding parking space, the Embassy has its limitations. But the Mission is trying to solve it with the help of neighbouring Embassies who are based in Diplomatic Enclave.
15.	Introduction of suitable Insurance scheme for Indian Expats	All concerned are advised to get in touch with LIC and Oriental Insurance whose details and other relevant conditions are available on the Embassy’s Website.
16.	Hold public meetings regularly at different locations	The Embassy has its limitations due to shortage of manpower and increased work pressure. But the Embassy has a system of Open Durbars where anyone can come without prior appointment. Details are available on the Embassy’s Website.

Merger of PIO and OCI Schemes

The Embassy wishes to inform that Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card scheme has been withdrawn by Government of India and has been merged with Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card scheme w.e.f 9th January 2015. Hence as per Government of India Gazette Notification No.11 dated 9th January 2015, all PIO cardholders will be deemed to be Overseas Citizens of India cardholder.  Therefore, the Embassy of India will no longer be issuing PIO cards.  Fresh applications will be accepted only for Overseas Citizenship of India cards. For any clarification, please contact Mr. J.S. Dangi, Second Secretary (Consular) at Telephone No. 22533315, Mobile No.97229947 & e mail sscons@indembkwt.org & Shri D. K. Tripathi, Consular Wing at Telephone No.22530600 Extn-235 

INDIA GLOBAL ON AIR FM GOLD

The Embassy would like to inform that the next episode of “INDIA GLOBAL” on AIR FM Gold will be on Kuwait. This program will be aired on 13 February 2015 at 2.00 P.M. (4.30 PM IST). All those who are interested may be informed that it would also be available on the AIR Website www.newsonair.com besides the channel on youtube of the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi at https://www.youtube.com/user/MEAIndiaand at https://soundcloud.com/meaindia

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Nodal Agency To Promote Indian Education Abroad

The Embassy would like to inform that the EdCIL (India) Limited, a Government of India Enterprise, formerly known as Educational Consultants India Limited (Ed.CIL) has been designated as the “Nodal Agency” to promote Indian education abroad.

            EdCIL has been assisting NRIs, PIOs and foreign nationals for pursuing Under-graduate courses, Post-Graduate Courses and Doctoral Programmes in Indian Institutions.  Details of assistance provided by EdCIL to Indian Diaspora as well as foreign nationals are available on  their website ‘www.edcilindia.co.in’. Those interested may pleasecontact Dr. Shaik Suleman, Head, Placement & Secondment, EdCIL (India) Ltd., EdCIL House-18-A, Sector-16-A, NOIDA - 201301, U.P. (Tel. 0091-120-2515281, Fax : 0091-120-2515372, E-mail : ssuleman@edcil.co.in, placement@edcil.co.in), for further information.

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Payment of consular fees through K-Net facility

It has been the endeavour of the Embassy to make its services prompt, courteous and easily accessible to all Indian nationals in Kuwait. As part of these ongoing efforts and to facilitate those paying consular fees for various services, the Embassy has started accepting payment of fees through K-Net Facility at the Embassy in addition to the existing system of cash payment. Those interested can avail the facility for payment of consular fees through the K-Net facility through any application counter at the Embassy.

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