Indian workers in UAE to get ICWF from Sept

DUBAI: The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi unveiled important amendments to the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) in the UAE, which will be implemented from September 1, 2017. Now, the range of ICWF has been expanded to provide more financial assistance to blue-collared workers and those in distress.

Addressing a press conference, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Navdeep Singh Suri, said that Indian fund in diplomatic missions was established by the Indian government in 2009 to cover emergency expences of the Indian expatriate community. The fund’s working procedure has been changed and modified by the Ministry of External Affairs. The embassy will not only provide legal resources in their fight for justice to the Indian workers, but appropriate and proper legal advice will also be given to them as well.

He noted that such facility will help those who have been laid off and fighting for pending salaries and compensation. Referring to the job losses in the current market, he said the embassy will not leave any Indian at the mercy of an employer.

The fund can also be used to release Indians from prisons and detention centers if the offences are minor and they don’t have the means to pay the fines. First Secretary for Community Affairs and Economic and Commerce Dinesh Kumar and other officials were also present at the press conference. There are an estimated 2.7m Indians in the UAE, forming the largest group of expatriates living in the United Arab Emirates.