Embassy will give free air tickets to stranded and needy Indians: Indian ambassador to Kuwait
Monday, April 18, 2011http://www.nriol.com/news/live/nri.asp
The Ambassador of India, HE Ajai Malhotra, reaffirmed on April 13, that "the Indian Embassy would be very happy to bear the air ticket cost for travel to India in the case of any stranded Indian who was needy and was unable to find the funds to do so".
He also noted that special air fares (KD 47, KD 53 or KD 58, depending on the destination in India) had been arranged by the Embassy with Air India Express and Jet Airways and these were available to any Indian citizen who would like to travel to India while availing of the amnesty. The Ambassador added that, even beyond the Amnesty period, any stranded and destitute Indian should know that they can approach the Indian Embassy for providing an air passage to return home.
The ambassador revealed that since March 1, 2011, the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, had extended amnesty related services to 9,600 Indians, received 7,300 applications for Emergency Certificates (ECs), prepared 6,800 ECs and delivered 5,800 ECs. While persons visiting the Embassy for amnesty related services peaked at 1,222 on March 6, 2011, their number dipped to about 100 per day by the second week of April 2011.
Ambassador Malhotra had earlier hosted a meeting on April 9, 2011, to update the Indian community about the response to the Amnesty declared by Kuwait government. Reminding that the Amnesty would end on June 30, 2011, the Ambassador once again urged any remaining Indian nationals who still needed to regularize their residency status in Kuwait to do so at the earliest or to avail of the Amnesty to return to India. He thanked all those who were helping in disseminating the information about the Amnesty and that the Indian Embassy would provide a free air ticket for travel to India to any stranded and needy Indian.
