ON the occasion of the 68th Republic Day of India, I extend my best wishes to all my fellow Indian citizens residing in the Western Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. India and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial and friendly relations reflecting the centuries old economic and socio-cultural ties. Over 3 million Indian expatriates are working in different sectors such as medical and scientific research, industry, construction, civil aviation, education, etc. in Saudi Arabia and out of which more than 1.2 million are in the Western region. While the Indian community has enormously benefitted from the several opportunities available in the Kingdom, it has also substantially contributed to the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the recent past, the level of bilateral engagement between India and Saudi Arabia has reached new heights. The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi Arabia in April 2016 laid another milestone with the signing of 5 agreements in the field of Labor Cooperation, Technical Cooperation Program, Cooperation in the field of Handicraft, Financial Intelligence Unit and Investment Promotion Cooperation. We would also like to thank Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the government and people of Saudi Arabia for their excellent support to the Indian community in Saudi Arabia. We would also like to congratulate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for bringing out "Saudi Vision 2030" and also wish for the success of this economic blueprint of the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is the fourth biggest trading partner of India and is a major source of energy as we import around 20% of our crude oil requirement from the Kingdom. We are happy that Saudi business delegations regularly visit India including in the recently held ‘Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit'. While addressing 14th Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas ceremony held on Jan. 9, 2017 in Bengaluru, Prime Minister Modi announced the extension of the deadline for applying for the conversion of Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cards to Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards till June 30, 2017. The Consulate extends assistance to all the applicants who are applying for conversion of PIO Cards into OCI Cards. Recently, the government of India also inaugurated Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra (PBK) in New Delhi for the pravasis. We have strengthened the grievance redressal mechanism, such as Madad Portal, eMigrate System for recruitment of manpower from India and Indian Workers Resource Centre (IWRC), which is working round-the-clock in the Consulate. We also organize regular consular tours to major cities of Western Region of Saudi Arabia to provide best services to the community members. I also hold Open House from 10.00 a.m. -12.00 p.m. on every Sunday and Thursday where members of the Indian community meet me without any prior appointment for redressal of grievances. The consulate also facilitates Saudi national to obtain visas hassle-free and to make the whole visa process applicant-friendly. We are thankful to Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Saudi authorities for making excellent arrangements during Haj-2016 and for allotting enhanced quota for Indian Hajis for Haj-2017. The Consulate General of India, Jeddah, remains committed to extend its best possible services to the Indian Diaspora in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia. The well-being of the Indian community remains our top priority. Jai Hind! Md. Noor Rahman Shaikh
