Karim Abdullah
The Indian Community Benevolent Fund (ICBF) will start distributing national ID cards for expatriates hailing from the Southern Indian state of Kerala by the end of this month, a senior ICBF official said yesterday.
Dubbed the Pravasi card, the document provides the holder with an insurance cover up to `200,000 and serves the purpose of a “second passport” that can be used while seeking various services back home.
“We are in the final stage of preparations to launch the card here, in collaboration with the Indian embassy and the No-Resident Keralite Affairs Department (Norka) at the Kerala government. Our initial plan was to have an official launch before Eid Al Adha. The service will definitely be available by the end of this month,” ICBF President Karim Abdullah told this daily yesterday.
The fee for the card will be finalised very soon, he added.
He said, initially the service will be limited to the Keralite expatriates, but there is a plan to expand it to Indians from other states as well. “We are currently having talks with organisations from several Indian states that can potentially collaborate on the project,” said Abdullah.
The ICBF will soon launch a programme to raise traffic safety awareness among the Indian community, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, said the official.
It has also plans to organise a series of cultural shows involving local talents in different parts of the country in the coming months.
The events will be held in Doha, Dukhan, Mesaieed and Al Khor. “We are planning a variety of programmes to promote local talents in the community of different age groups. It will also help garner more support and involvement from community members in the humanitarian projects and activities of the Fund,” said Abdullah.
He said the ICBF helpdesk at the embassy has been attending to a number of complaints and grievances of the community members in need.
“We will soon an set up a helpdesk in Mesaieed, to serve the Indians in that area,” said Abdullah.
Besides Doha, the service of the helpdesk is currently available in Dukhan and Al Khor.
The Peninsula
