COVID-19: Indian missions in UAE open online registration for its citizens who wish to fly home
Dubai: The Indian missions in the UAE have opened online registration for the expatriates who wish to fly back home after getting stuck in the country amidst the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On Wednesday night, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi announced the details of data collection through the website of the Indian Consulate in Dubai, the Gulf News reported.
"It is informed that the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India, Dubai, have started a database to register Indians wishing to travel back to India under COVID-19 situation. The details can be entered through the website of the Embassy www.indianembassyuae.gov.in or Consulate www.cgidubai.gov.in by following the link 'Register in Database of Indians to Travel Back to India under COVID-19 situation'," India in Dubai tweeted on Thursday.
"These can also be entered by following the link www.cgidubai.gov.in/covid_register," it tweeted.
However, minutes after posting the tweet, the mission deleted it citing technical issues. It seemed some users were having trouble accessing the page, the report said.
On Thursday, the Consulate General of India in Dubai reposted the link, warning it may take "some time for the page to load due to high traffic," the report said.
The Abu Dhabi mission earlier clarified that the purpose of the form is only to collect information to enable the Government of India to plan for the return of Indians from abroad under the present COVID-19 situation, the report added.
This form is to be filled for a single individual at a time. Families need to fill separate forms for each member, it said.
Similarly, for companies, a separate form has to be filled for each employee. It was also clarified that the decision on resumption of passenger flights to India will be taken in due course, the report said.
Tens of thousands of Indian expats are expected to register their details, it said. On April 10, the government said a decision to bring Indians stranded abroad will be taken after reviewing the COVID-19 situation.
Ministry of External Affairs Additional Secretary Dammu Ravi said, "Some questions have come about Indians abroad. It is a situation where we cannot give a definite answer because the lockdown is still there. We need to assess the situation It will be the government's decision on how we manage the return of Indians from other countries."
Indian expatriate community of approximately 3.42 millions is reportedly the largest ethnic community in UAE constituting roughly about 30 per cent of the country's population, as per the International Migrant Stock 2019 released by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), according to the Indian Embassy.
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AIMIM wins Malegaon Central seat by 162 votes
Malegaon (Maharashtra), Nov 23: In a closely contested election, Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has retained the Malegaon Central assembly seat, winning by a razor-thin margin of 162 votes.
This victory in the north Maharashtra constituency marks a significant turnaround for Khalique, who previously enjoyed a commanding lead in the 2019 elections, winning by over one lakh votes.
Khalique, an Islamic scholar, received a total of 1,09,653 votes this time, narrowly defeating his nearest rival, Asif Shaikh Rasheed of the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra party, who got 1,09,491 votes.
There were a total of 13 candidates contesting in this Muslim dominated constituency. Barring Khalique and Rasheed, two other candidates -- Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed of Samajwadi Party and Ejaz Baig Aziz Baig managed below 10,000 votes. Other remaining candidates were below 1,000 votes.
This election marks Khalique's third term as an MLA. He initially represented the Malegaon Central seat in 2009 as a member of the Jan Surajya Shakti party.
However, Khalique faced a setback in the 2014 elections when he contested under the banner of the Nationalist Congress Party and lost.
His return to the assembly in 2019 under the AIMIM banner solidified his political presence, and despite the significantly reduced margin this year, he has once again emerged victorious.
The results highlight the competitive nature of the Malegaon Central constituency and underscore Khalique's resilience in maintaining his position amidst changing political dynamics.
