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Indian expats needing help anytime now have a lifeline. All they need to do is call the toll free number 800India.

The helpline for the much awaited Indian Workers’ Resource Centre (800-46342) number was dedicated to the Indian expatriate community in the UAE by the president of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil in Dubai on Tuesday evening.

 
The resource centre will receive, register and monitor the grievance petitions, and offer counselling sessions and awareness classes to the Indian workers and other members of Indian community on legal, financial and medical issues in cooperation with the Indian diplomatic missions.

The president announced the launch of the centre and its hotline number at a reception organised by the Indian Ambassador to the UAE MK Lokesh at India Club, Dubai which was attended by around 1,000 members of the community. The service will also assist the missions to process the attestation of employment documents relating to Indian workers. The IWRC staff will speak various Indian languages and handle issues arising out of all the seven emirates in the UAE.

The IWRC is a pilot project of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs aimed at addressing multifarious issues being faced by the Indian expatriates, especially the workers.

The Indian missions have been addressing their grievances and offering legal and psychological support on a case-to-case basis. The Centre is expected to do the same job in a continuous, professional manner for an extended group of beneficiaries.

 
Dubai was chosen for the launch of the project since the highest number of Indian expatriates here are based in the UAE. Depending on the success of the initiative in the UAE, the ministry plans to launch similar centres in other countries with a big NRI presence.

VFS Global, a specialist partner of diplomatic missions worldwide, won the competition to run the resource centre that will function on a 24/7 basis, except in the forenoon on Fridays.