A delegation of nonresident Indians met the deputy chief minister of the newly formed south Indian state of Telengana in Hyderabad to brief him about the problems facing NRIs from the region.

The delegation held a detailed meeting with Mir Mahmud Ali and submitted a memorandum documenting the problems and issues facing the NRIs.

The delegation consisted of Mohammed Quaiser, Mumtaz Ali Akram and Abdul Aleem.

According to Quaiser, NRIs in the Middle East face difficult conditions. He said NRIs based in the Gulf contribute the highest amount of remittance to the country's coffers "but their grievances are not addressed."

The delegation demanded direct flights to Hyderabad by national carrier Air India. "This is a long overdue demand from the Telengana people," said Quaiser. “There are 2.8 million Indians in Saudi Arabia and Telengana constitutes the third largest number of Indian expatriates in the KIngdom after Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Due to the absence of a direct flight, we often face difficulties."

The deputy chief minister assured the delegation that his government will direct the concerned departments to resolve the problems at the earliest.