The Indian government's decision to set up Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) in 18 countries, including Qatar, is a welcome move, but the amount allotted is insufficient, a cross-section of countrymen have told a Qatar newspaper.
As announced by the Union Cabinet recently, all the six Gulf countries and Malaysia are to be provided with Rs 1.5 million each annually to meet contingency expenditure incurred by them for carrying out various onsite welfare activities for overseas Indian citizens who are in distress.
"Though the initiative is laudable, this amount is highly inadequate considering the number of Indian expatriates in the GCC countries and the extent of the activities envisaged," Qatar's Indian Community Benevolent Fund (ICBF) President Dr Mohan Thomas told 'Gulf Times'.
ICBF, is celebrating its silver jubilee this year, and has been spending much more than the amount proposed by the Indian government, the report said.
"During the past 18 months, ICBF has given air tickets worth Rs 5mn and financial assistance of over Rs 1.5 million for medical and other urgent needs, while spending almost 1 million Qatari riyals in one year for administrative and legal assistance by way of salary to an Arabic-speaking Indian and a lawyer (part-time) of Arab origin," Dr Thomas explained.
In addition, ICBF takes care of fishermen from neighbouring countries (arrested by Qatari authorities for trespassing into the territorial waters) and provides them with food, water and legal assistance.
"This magnitude of work cannot be met by a small fund announced by the Indian government," Dr Thomas said, while appreciating Indian Ambassador Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa for releasing a substantial amount every month from the embassy's welfare fund to support the activities of ICBF.
ICBF's former president and advisory council chairman Nilangshu Dey recalled that the fund spends the equivalent of about Rs 10 million per year to help needy Indians.
"However, we welcome the government decision to allocate Rs 1.5 million, which should be reviewed and enhanced later depending on consultations with the respective Indian missions to ascertain their requirements," he said.
