Reaching out to Indian community in Oman is mission house’s keen priority

Muscat: Reaching out to the Indian community is a top priority for the mission house, the Indian ambassador to Oman Indra Mani Pandey has said.
“By reaching out to the Indian community in Oman, we learn more about their concerns and issues. Only by knowing the hurdles they face can we address them in cooperation with the local authorities,” the ambassador said.
According to Pandey, thanks to the assistance extended by the local authorities, visits to the detention centre undertaken by the mission house have been made a regular feature every month. Community meetings are being held in other cities, too.
For a few months now, the embassy officials have been regularly visiting the jail in Samail every month to know about the jailed Indians.
Community meetings were being held in Jalan and Mudhaibi.
“In the coming days, we will be holding a community meeting in Ibri where company workers and officials will be present,” the Indian ambassador added.
According to National Statistics and Information Centre data released in February, there are 680,830 Indian workers in Oman.
Currently, the embassy has been extending help to the Indian workers through its free bi-weekly legal sessions and monthly open houses.
The embassy has a 24-hour helpline service for workers in distress. It will continue to provide requisite assistance to Indian nationals in distress, including financial assistance.
In 2014, to ensure better service delivery to Indians residing in Oman, the Indian embassy in Muscat had extended its 'Open House' facilities to be held on all working days between 10 am till 12 noon.
'Open House' is an informal meeting held once a month at the embassy where officials from different wings, including the ambassador and a panel of lawyers, are present to listen to the Indians' consular and community welfare issues in Oman.