The CEO of the Kuwait International Exhibition Company, Abdul Rahman Al-Nassar, revealed that the features of the strategic plan for the next five years will focus on sustainability, business development and facilities, in addition to creating indirect investment activities within its site, reports Al-Jarida daily. Al-Nassar added, in a statement after the company’s Ordinary General Assembly, which was held with 100 attendance rate, that the strategic plan includes adding activities that include entertainment and entering the field of organizing conferences, pointing out that it will see the light during the next six months, and its implementation will start from September next.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Health will vacate all its sites in the fairgrounds by the end of March, after which the company will take 6 months to rehabilitate those sites to return them to service, expecting that the performance of the “Kuwait International Fair” in 2023 will be better than last year. He stated that the company’s operational financial indicators for the year 2022 came to express the success of its operational policies by developing several plans for the gradual return of full operational activity within the international exhibition grounds, indicating that «the company was able to achieve a good growth rate in the volume of business and rise to technical and administrative levels.

He indicated that as a result of high performance, demonstrated financial and operational stability, continued maintenance of the quality and specifications of our exhibitions, and commitment to satisfying the needs of the organizers and participants and as a result of that policy and the efforts of the company’s employees to achieve those positive results and the best possible returns for shareholders, the company achieved net profits of 3.03 million dinars for the year 2022, with a profit of 101.03 fils per share. For his part, Wael Al-Ibrahim, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, said that the financial results for the year ending on December 31, 2022 are good, and indicate the company’s competitive ability within the local and international market to achieve this performance, and this comes in implementation of the policies set by the Board of Directors despite the challenges arising since the end of The pandemic affected the sector of organizing exhibitions and events, but the company was able, in a short period of time, to return to full operational activity.

Al-Ibrahim praised the effective role of the executive management and all employees of the company in implementing these plans with professionalism that preserved the company’s reputation and distinction, hoping for success in the coming year and continuing to implement the aspirations and aspirations of shareholders through the development and development of operational activities and services provided inside the exhibition grounds.

The parliamentary Human Resources Committee has approved the proposal of MP Hamad Al-Obaid to suspend work in the public sector during the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan. The committee pointed out this will give the public sector employees more time for worship, prayers and performing rituals.

Meanwhile, MP Mubarak Al-Hajraf has submitted a proposal to prevent the slaughtering of female livestock such as sheep, cows and camels. He explained that the proposal is aimed at preserving livestock by setting aside the female animals for breeding purposes.

In another development, the Constitutional Court will rule Sunday on appeals regarding the constitutionality of the last parliamentary elections, the relevant urgent decree and the decree on voting according to the address in the citizens’ civil identification cards. Several candidates in the last elections filed a total of 21 appeals on the constitutionality of the electoral process, in addition to their objection to the results of elections in their respective constituencies.

On the other hand, MP Mubarak Al-Hajraf urged His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to exclude ministers subjected to grilling motions from the new government lineup. He said these ministers disrupted parliamentary work and this has negatively affected the citizens’ interests. He warned that he will push through with filing a grilling motion against Minister of Finance Abdulwahab Al-Rashead in case he gets reappointed.

Moreover, MP Osama Al- Shaheen forwarded queries to Minister of Public Works, Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Amani Bugamaz about the explosion in Salmiya power station, which resulted in injuries to four Kuwaiti engineers — one of whom is still in the intensive care unit (ICU). He asked if the ministry has investigated the incident, results of investigation if the reply is in the affirmative, steps taken in this regard, safety and security regulations enforced in power stations, and if the workers are covered by health and hazard insurance. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff

The Kuwait government has announced new regulations to address demographic imbalances in the country, which came into effect after the official publication in the “Kuwait Alyawm” gazette. The regulations include measures to restrict employment in security agencies and jobs to citizens only, as well as the introduction of a point system for expatriate workers regarding violations of laws and regulations.

The regulations also call for the determination of appropriate nationalities of workers based on the numbers of expat workers when issuing decisions related to the implementation of the law, and the classification of workers based on factors such as education and age, as well as the labor market’s need for specific professions occupied by expatriate workers.

The regulations aim to stop recruitment in certain sectors, expand the recruitment of national workers, link education outputs to the requirements of the labor market, and coordinate between government agencies related to demographics, reports Al Rai. The government also seeks to attract skilled expatriate workers through professional tests, as well as increase the percentage of national workers employed in government contracts.

It can be off-putting to deal with paperwork when traveling.

Oman now allows travel from more than 100 countries without requiring a visa.

You might also like: Oman announces new visa-free entry rules for all Dubai residents

Those eligible can now enter Oman for up to 14 days without a visa, sure to attract tourists from around the world.

A list of countries whose nationals are eligible for this new policy has been published by the Royal Oman Police (ROP).

Travellers from countries able to make the most of visa-free travel to Oman now include:

- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- China
- Colombia
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Paraguay
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- United States of America

If tourists from the 103 countries wish to spend longer than 14 days in Oman, they can extend their visa-free stay for an additional 14 days but have to pay a fee.

The new update also includes that some Indian tourists can also obtain a visa on arrival in Oman.

They must have an entry visa from the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Schengen countries, Japan, or have a resident permit of one of the GCC countries, and work in a profession approved by the Oman government.

Planning to visit Oman? There are several must-visit spots to see in the Middle Eastern country.

Need some inspiration? Jebel Akhdar, the so-called Green Mountain, is one of the most spectacular destinations in the entire Gulf region, especially when viewed from the summit.

Another place to check out is the capital city, Muscat. Packed with lots of museums and historical homes it is a place for culture vultures who love to explore.

Official statistics showed that 2021 recorded the highest average temperature during the past ten years, reaching 35.6 degrees Celsius, while it was 34.5 degrees Celsius in 2020, and 34.4 degrees Celsius in 2019, while the average temperatures during the last ten years 34.4 degrees Celsius, reports Al-Rai daily.

According to the figures, the year before last was the lowest in the amount of rain, at a rate of 30 millimeters, while the average in 2020 was approximately 100 millimeters, while in 2019 it reached about 62 millimeters. In terms of hazardous waste, the figures for the year 2021 were also remarkable, as the highest rate of hazardous waste was recorded compared to the past ten years, with 73,491 tons, while the amount in the previous year was 60,316, and in 2019 it reached approximately 64,356.

Likewise, the quantities of population waste were record in 2021 compared to the years 2020 and 2019, as the amount of this waste last year was 19,827,692 tons, while in 2020 it was about 1759,844 tons, and in 2019 it was about 18,578,400 tons.

Starting from tomorrow morning, Saturday, the Public Authority for Roads and Land Transport has announced the closure of Al-Ghazali Street from both directions for a period of five days until Wednesday morning.

Gazali street will be closed from 1:00 am to 5:00 am and is being carried out in cooperation with the General Traffic Department.

 Following the increase in the number of visitors to hospitals and health centers during the past few days due to seasonal flu infection, health sources reassured that the epidemiological situation in the country is stable, that the majority of patients’ symptoms are mild, and there is no cause for concern, reports Al-Qabas daily.

The sources explained that the current period is witnessing an increase in the cases of seasonal flu infection as a result of weather fluctuations, change of seasons, the tendency by many to wear light clothes, the use of air-conditioning devices in homes, at work, and even inside vehicles, and frequent contact with people infected with respiratory diseases. Hundreds of citizens and residents visited health centers and hospitals during the past week due to symptoms that may be similar to those of COVID-19.

However, initial tests and smears proved that the COVID- 19 pandemic is receding inside the country. The majority of patients are able to improve their health with some painkillers and simple medicines. People who have taken the seasonal winter vaccinations have less symptoms of flu.

These vaccines are more necessary for children from ages to six months to five years, people over the age of 65 years, pregnant women, workers in health facilities, and those suffering from chronic diseases. The sources affirmed that COVID-19 is under control, and fl u cases are within the normal rates in the country.

First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Acting Minister of Defense Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah directed today, Wednesday, to activate a decision on Council of Ministers No. (78) of 2015 ending the immediate procedures for all vehicles imported from abroad at the Nuwaiseeb port at the present time before entering Kuwait from next Sunday.

The General Department of Relations and Security Media at the Ministry of Interior said in a press statement that Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled ordered the implementation of the decision, in cooperation between the Ministry of Interior represented by the General Department of Traffic Authority , Ministry of Commerce and Industry, General Administration of Customs, Public Authority for Industry, Kuwait Municipality, Environment Public Authority and Ministry of Communications at the same time. The statement added that the decision will be implemented at the Salmi port and Shuwaikh port within two months and operate around the clock, in order to facilitate citizens to complete all procedures for clearance of their vehicles as quickly as possible.

Director of the Special Contracts Department at the Ministry of Health Maryam Al-Shehab announced coordination with the Ministry of Interior for establishing electronic link between the two parties for the issuance of a “Good Conduct” certificate for the newly-recruited medical, technical and nursing staff members who were contracted from abroad, reports Al-Anba daily.

In a press statement, she indicated that this link aims to develop work, speed up completion, save time and effort, cancel the paper system, and adopt an “electronic fingerprint” to facilitate procedures for new contractors. Al-Shehab revealed about the creation of a website dedicated to the implementation of the “electronic fingerprint” mechanism for new appointees, in coordination with the Director of the General Department of Criminal Evidence Colonel Saadoun Al- Barghash.

She praised their efforts to overcome all obstacles in this regard. Al-Shehab explained that the previous system used to take time and effort, as it involved giving the contracting person an official letter issued by the Ministry of Health to give the General Department of Criminal Evidence for taking the person’s fingerprint and then providing the ministry with his criminal record, which should be clean, so that he can complete the contracting procedures and be granted government residency.

This used to take a lot of time and effort and required the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Interior to hesitate several times in order to complete the procedures. This step comes within the framework of the Ministry of Health’s direction to activate e-government and coordinate between state ministries and all competent authorities electronically. Regarding the local contract, Al-Shehab stressed that the “Good Conduct” certifi- cate can be obtained through the Sahel app without the need for any letters from the Ministry of Health.

The Traffic Department at the Interior Ministry is reportedly preparing new regulations for granting driving licenses to expatriates in Kuwait. These new regulations are expected to be submitted to the Interior Minister for approval after the formation of the new government.

According to sources, the new regulations will include an increase in the minimum salary requirement for expatriates applying for a driving license. Additionally, only certain professions will be allowed to obtain a driving license. These measures are intended to reduce traffic congestion on the streets, which has been attributed to the large number of expatriate motorists.

The sources also noted that many expatriates working in basic professions have been benefiting from lenient conditions for obtaining a driving license compared to neighboring countries. By limiting the issuance of driving licenses to certain professions and increasing the minimum salary requirement, the new regulations aim to ensure that only qualified and responsible drivers are granted licenses.

In addition to the changes in driving license regulations, the Traffic Department is also expected to issue decisions related to the technical inspection of vehicles. This may include preventing the registration of more than 20,000 vehicles over 15 years old, as the department has found many loopholes in how these vehicles obtain technical inspection approval.

To address this issue, the Environment Public Authority is expected to participate in the examination of vehicles with the Traffic Department. If implemented comprehensively, this could permanently remove such vehicles from use. Otherwise, their owners will be subject to traffic fines, and insurance will not be granted for them.

Overall, these new regulations and decisions are part of Kuwait's ongoing efforts to improve road safety and reduce traffic congestion on its streets. While these measures may pose challenges for some expatriates, they are expected to benefit the community as a whole and improve the overall driving conditions in Kuwait.

The Kuwaiti Zakat House announced on Tuesday, that it will provide 7,000 meals during the holy month of Ramadan inside the country daily, at a cost of 262,500 dinars. Acting Director General of the Zakat House, Dr. Majed Al-Azmi, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the project will be implemented in more than 13 halls and mobile cars distributed in all governorates of the country and in mosques according to the desire of the donor, and the meals should not be less than 125 daily meals in one mosque. He stated that several projects will be implemented outside Kuwait in 14 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe, under the supervision and sponsorship of charities accredited by the embassies of the State of Kuwait.

He added that the revenue centers spread in all regions of Kuwait are preparing to receive the generous donors in the morning and evening periods to provide various services, including calculating zakat on money, gold and others. He referred to receiving zakat and alms through the website of the Zakat House and its application on smart phones, in addition to the quick donation service in an easy application, bank transfers and many channels. He explained that the House will publish and display the zakat of corporate shares as soon as the House obtains the data and accounts of the companies, through a team specialized in calculating the zakat of shares.

He also indicated that the Department of Social Service at the House is interested in developing its services and simplifying procedures for the auditors, as the donation service is provided through the website of the Zakat House for permanent cases and other new cases, whether it is assistance or a good loan. He expressed the House’s welcome to receive auditors during the morning period of the official working hours, daily from Sunday to Thursday, in all branches of the Social Service Department in both Al-Jahra and Al-Ahmadi, Mubarak Al- Kabeer, Farwaniya and Hawalli. (KUNA)

In what could be considered an “initial rehearsal” to test the success of fl exible working hours, the head of the Civil Service Commission issued a decision specifying 3 different times for government employees during the month of Ramadan, reports Al-Qabas daily. While responsible sources considered that the success of this experiment would pave the way for applying flexible working hours in ministries and service departments permanently, they indicated that this system would eliminate the phenomenon of disguised unemployment and overcrowding of employees inside offices at the same time, in addition to resolving the crisis of attitudes in some entities, as well as reducing traffic congestion. In addition, female citizens working in service agencies confirmed that flexible working hours are good, but the third period conflicts with family obligations during the month of Ramadan.

The Head of the Bureau, Dr. Issam Al-Rubaian, confirmed that the flexible official working hours from Sunday to Thursday of each week during the blessed month of Ramadan will be four and a half hours per day, from 9:45 am to 2:15 pm, and from 10:15 am to 2:45 pm, and from 10:45 am until 3:15 pm in the afternoon Al-Rubaian added that each government agency may choose more than one official working time from the aforementioned dates, according to the circumstances and nature of the work and without prejudice to the workflow in the entity, and that a decision is issued by the competent minister or whoever he delegates to choose the working hours, taking into account the aforementioned dates.

He explained that the government agency that decides to choose more than one date for the scheduled working hours, and its automated systems allow for multiple proof of attendance times, calculating the official working hours and the grace period individually for each employee, according to the aforementioned dates, so the employee may attend on any of the dates set by the agency and adhere to his dismissal with one of the departure specified dates, according to the time of his attendance. He stated that the minutes of delay at the beginning of working hours are calculated for the employee according to the dates set by his employer and after the end of the last date set by the authority for attendance, in addition to the 15-minute grace period at the beginning of working hours.

Al-Rubaian stated that it is permissible for the government agency to oblige some employees to a specific work date, whether at the level of work centers, specific organizational units, job categories or a group of employees, according to the requirements and interest of the work, and within the deadlines set by the CSC. He indicated that the employee, in this case, adheres to the dates set by the employer for attendance and leave, and he may not choose a date for his attendance except for what the employer specified. He said that this decision does not prejudice the 15-minute grace period for the employee at the beginning of the working day, or the 15-minute grace period for females at the end of the working day, or the permission system or other rules or provisions stipulated in the CSC decision regarding work regulations.

This decision affects the applicable shift or guard systems. He explained that the application of the provisions of this decision does not entail the payment of any additional compensation, allowances, rewards or bonuses, indicating that this decision is implemented during the blessed month of Ramadan for this year. Al-Rubaian stated that the entities that have special circumstances or nature of work and wish to change their working hours in contrast to the dates stipulated in this decision, they must submit a proposal for appropriate official working hours for them, in order to be approved by the Civil Service Bureau, while adhering to their proposal with the number of hours set for working hours by four and a half per day.

 The traffic department at the interior ministry is preparing new regulations for granting expatriates driving licenses, which will be submitted to the interior minister after the formation of the new government for approval.

“The new conditions include increasing the minimum salary requirement for expatriates applying for a driving license. Moreover, only certain professions will be allowed to obtain a driving license,” sources said, indicating these conditions aim to reduce traffic congestion on the streets, which traffic studies claim is due to the large number of expatriate motorists.

“Moreover, large number of expatriates who work in basic professions and use vehicles benefit from the lenient conditions for obtaining a driving license compared to conditions applied in neighboring countries,” sources added.

“Other decisions will be issued by the traffic department related to the technical inspection of vehicles, which may prevent the registration of more than 20,000 vehicles over 15 years old. The traffic department has found many loopholes in how these vehicles obtain technical inspection approval,” sources explained.

“The participation of the Environment Public Authority in the examination of vehicles with the traffic department, if implemented in a comprehensive manner, can permanently remove such vehicles from use. Otherwise, their owners will be subject to traffic fines and insurance will not be granted for them,” sources added.

The Public Prosecution is investigating leaking high school exams and cheating on exams, but Al-Qabas sources report this case has taken on new dimensions, including freezing the defendants' bank accounts, including 120 thousand dinars in the names of the main suspects, as well as freezing other accounts after the investigation has been completed.

The ongoing investigation has revealed that six batches of public high school students were implicated in the leak of exams, and that dozens of residents and citizens are earning money from “high school exam seasons” by leaking questions and answers and selling cheating headsets, indicating the continued issuance of arrest warrants against the new suspects.

During the interview, sources pointed out that the main suspect in the “test leakage groups” was a fugitive citizen living in Egypt – according to the investigations – while an arrest warrant was issued against the second suspect and he was brought before the Public Prosecution. Meanwhile, the sources added, “The investigations revealed dozens of those involved in this case, who were using phone numbers belonging to Asians by participating in cheating groups and leaking tests, were also using dual and fake names”, which makes it difficult to reach them until this moment but investigations are still ongoing in the case to reveal any new involvement.”

The sources pointed out that “after classifying the case of fraud as money laundering, illegal bank transfers were monitored and tracked in the accounts of the accused, some of which were disposed of in purchases, and it is likely that all suspicious funds will be seized after the completion of the investigations.”

A local daily reported that the residence affairs department and the Public Authority of Manpower are reviewing expat workers' work permits in order to reduce their number by a quarter of a million.

Sources report that the number of iqama violators exceeds 100,000, which requires stricter security measures in areas with large numbers of violators, such as Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh.

The demographics committee had earlier recommended increasing the work permit fees, determining specific numbers for each field of work and imposing health insurance for every worker. It is proposed to stop recruiting foreign workers except for specific specializations and for a period of five years, and to get rid of marginal workers.

Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Tajikistan to Kuwait Dr Zubaidullah Zubaidov has confirmed support for Kuwait’s initiatives, especially those related to water resources; stressing that the Kuwaiti side is keen on obtaining clean water from Tajikistan, reports Al-Qabas daily.

Zubaidov made the announcement in a recent press conference with the participation of Ambassador of the Netherlands to Kuwait Laurens Westhoff and acting Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) Dr Asaad Hafeez on the water conference – Tajik-Dutch initiative – that the UN will host at the end of this month. He revealed that a Kuwaiti company unveiled its plan to import water estimated at thousands of gallons from Tajikistan to Kuwait through the sea via Pakistan due to the close distance between the marine ports of the two countries. He said his country’s relations with Kuwait in all fields are developing significantly.

On the other hand, Westhoff disclosed that he is proud of the Netherlands’ participation in the first UN conference on water in almost 46 years, which will be jointly organized by Tajikistan and the Netherlands to assess the progress made in the International Decade of Action for Water in 2023. He pointed out that the Netherlands pays special attention to water and climate issues, emphasizing the importance of taking bold measures to restore balance in the global water cycle to ensure universal access to safe drinking water, and for water to support economic development and sustainable growth.

The Central Bank of Kuwait directed banks to cancel the minimum amount for online purchases for value-store services, foremost of which are balance recharge operations without the need for a verification code, as it has become obligatory for banks to activate the (OTP) code for such operations even if it was worth 100 fils, reports Al-Rai daily. The operations include purchasing applications and games on the Internet and “itunes”, and other purchases of balance cards, noting that the CBK decided during the Corona pandemic to raise the limit for remote payment operations (TAP) from 10 to 25 dinars.

The sources indicated that the supervisory move in this regard was motivated by reducing the risks of exposure of bank customers to any loopholes, which may constitute an outlet for falling into the trap of electronic fraud, especially after the growth of “hackers” fraud in the last period. The sources revealed that the banks were unable to recover the majority of the amounts that were hacked during the past two months, which exposed a segment of customers to fraud, and they registered complaints in this regard, explaining that the reason behind this is due to the fact that these customers delivered the one-time verification code (OTP) to the hackers. This enabled them to control their accounts before the bank intervened and suspended their cards.

India won its first Oscar for 2023 for Netflix's 'The Elephant Whisperer' by Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga in the Best Documentary Short Film category at the 95th Academy Awards. The director went on to thank the Academy, producer Guneet Monga, her family and dedicated the win to her "motherland India".

"I stand here today to speak for the sacred bond between us and our natural world, for the respect of indigenous communities, and empathy towards other living beings we share space with and finally, for coexistence," Gonsalves said in her acceptance speech.

She added, "Thank you to the Academy for recognising our film, highlighting indigenous people and animals.. To Netflix for believing in the power of this... To Bomman and Belli for sharing their sacred tribal wisdom to Guneet, my producer..."
"My mentor and my entire team and finally, to my mother, father and sister who are up there somewhere and you are the centre of my universe, to my motherland India," she concluded.

Running at 41 minutes, this short documentary movie explores the tentative yet precious bond between Raghu, an orphaned baby elephant, and his caretakers - a mahout couple named Bomman and Bellie - who devote their lives to protect him from poachers and raise him.The movie was the directorial debut of Kartiki Gonsalves. Gonsalves, who had a successful career as a wildlife and social documentary photographer, photojournalist, and cinematographer, left her cushy job for her maiden venture.

Spilling some beans on the film in an earlier interview, Guneet said, "'The Elephant Whisperers' is "the story of people, who have been generationally working with elephants and they're so aware of the needs of the jungle."

She added, "In the film, there is a beautiful scene which speaks of taking from the Jungle but only to the extent that is needed, and the jungles have enough for everyone. But it is up to us if we take what we need or we hoard. The needs of humans are endless, it is upon us to draw the line and give the respect that animals deserve."

Monga had previously served as an executive producer on 'Period. End of Sentence', which won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film.

A ministry official said on Sunday that the Ministry of Health has adopted the World Health Organization's programs for monitoring and predicting epidemic outbreaks. It is believed that the world has focused on the latest treatments for viral and communicable diseases, conducting intensive research to find the most effective ones. On behalf of the Minister of Health Dr. Ahmad Al-Awadhi, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Buthaina Al-Mudhaf addressed Kuwait's second infection control conference.

Dr. Al-Mudhaf said that the conference sheds light on the latest innovations and challenges facing efforts to combat infectious diseases. In addition to elite national cadres and delegations from other GCC countries, representatives of top universities and scientific institutions will attend the event, according to Al-Mudhaf. Dr. Al-Mudhaf expressed gratitude to the personnel of the department of preventing epidemics and sterilization and the top leaders for their continuous encouragement of scientific progress at the national level.

Dr. Al-Mudhaf told journalists on the sidelines of the convention that the epidemiological situation in the country was stable, pointing out the rise in vaccination seekers and the fact that 85 percent of the population had taken the vaccine. It is also imperative that the elderly and people with chronic diseases receive all vaccinations against covid-19 and its variants. As for Dr. Ahmad Al-Mutawaa, the conference chairperson, he said the three-day convention would address the latest innovations, treatments, and challenges associated with combating the pandemic. According to Dr. Kholoud Al-Fadhala, the conference scientific committee chairperson, it sheds light on vital issues such as patient and health care worker safety.

 The electrifying performance of the Telugu track "Naatu Naatu" by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava at the Academy Awards stage brought the Dolby Theatre to life with dancers of all ethnicities acing the hook step of the international music sensation from "RRR".

The performance, which received a standing ovation, was introduced by Hindi cinema star Deepika Padukone, who had to pause at least thrice in between owing to the loud cheers from the A-list audience.

Padukone, dressed in a custom Louis Vuitton black gown and a statement Cartier neckpiece, said the Telugu chartbuster -- composed by MM Keeravaani and penned by Chandrabose -- illustrates the film's "anti-colonial themes" and is "also a total banger".

"It plays during a pivotal scene in 'RRR', a movie about the friendship between real-life Indian revolutionaries -- Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem. In addition to being sung in Telugu and illustrating the film's anti-colonial themes, it's also a total banger," the "Pathaan" star said.

"Naatu Naatu", which features in SS Rajamouli's "RRR" (Rise Roar Revolt), celebrates the inclusive spirit of dance and bonhomie and features Ram Charan and Jr NTR matching steps to its catchy rhythm.

The title of the track translates to bucolic in Telugu. It demonstrates the spirit of fun in country music in its over 4.35 minutes of runtime.

Padukone also raved about the song's popularity on social media highlighting that it is the "first song from an Indian production to be nominated for an Oscar".

"Do you know 'Naatu' because if you don't, you're about to. From the film 'RRR', this is 'Naatu Naatu'," Padukone added, introducing the performance. For the over two-minute-long act, the organisers recreated the set of the song which was originally shot in the lawns of the Presidential Palace of Kyiv, Ukraine.

The two male dancers -- who were dressed as Ram Charan's Ram and Jr NTR's Bheem -- were lip syncing the song.

 American dancer Lauren Gottlieb, who has worked extensively in the Indian film industry, was also part of the dance troupe.

Padukone joined the likes of Emily Blunt, Samuel L Jackson, Glenn Close, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B Jordan, Janelle Monae, Zoe Saldana, Jennifer Connelly, Riz Ahmed and Melissa McCarthy among others as presenters for the awards gala.