JEDDAH, 10 January — A two-member delegation of the government of India’s department of posts declared here last night that its current Gulfwide tour was aimed at targeting Indian expats who tended to send their remittances through unofficial channels. "We’re also targeting the vast majority who are regularly remitting small sums to their families back home for their maintenance or emergencies," Alok Pande, assistant director general and project manager, international money transfer services (IMTS) of the New Delhi-based department of posts, told a community meeting organized by the Consulate General of India at Hyatt Regency Hotel on Tuesday night.
Pande and Sharda Sampath, director of postal services at the Department of Posts, based in Hyderabad, as well as Milind V. Shirke, Western Union’s Dubai-based regional marketing director for the Middle East and South Asia, took part in the discussion that followed. The delegation pointed out that out of an estimated $14 billion remittances coming into India annually, only $4 billion were through legal channels.
Consul General Syed Akbaruddin in his remarks referred to the strides taking place at the government level, especially in the matter of its departments entering into alliances with the private sector in a bid to provide better services to the community. He mentioned India Post’s alliance with Western Union as one such significant step. The delegation explained how Indian expats could now remit funds to their home in India in minutes by leveraging the India Post-Western Union alliance, with the help of latest electronic, computer and satellite technology. Most of the questions from the community at the meeting related to the flat fee SR35 being high.
A year ago, India Post and Western Union signed a multi-year agreement to officially launch Western Union Money Transfer services across India. The service is currently available in over 750 post offices in all the major cities in India.