JEDDAH, 30 November — Civil Aviation Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain was apprised of the problems of non-resident Indians (NRIs) when NRIs Gulf Forum President S.A. Ziauddin called on him in New Delhi recently.
He explained to the minister the travel problems faced by NRIs belonging to the southern Indian states in the absence of direct flights from Riyadh and Dammam. The need for creating an investment fund for the purpose of expansion of Air-India’s fleet and development of ground infrastructure at various airports in India was also stressed at the meeting.
The forum submitted a proposal seeking the NRIs’ participation in Air-India’s disinvestments program initiated by the government. The NRIs’ contribution in building India’s foreign exchange reserves was also explained to the minister. It was pointed out that the annual remittances of Gulf NRIs exceeded $4.2 billion and the government should tackle their problems related to education, housing, settlement, travel, etc., on priority.
"The minister gave an assurance that all problems would be considered and necessary action taken in the interest of NRIs, especially those from Saudi Arabia. The Andhra Pradesh government arranged the meeting. The state accounts for 18 percent of over 1.6 million NRIs in the Kingdom, Ziauddin added.
