The Consulate General of India in Jeddah announced the launch of a Virtual Appointment System. Consul General Mohd. Shahid Alam conveyed that the Virtual Appointment System (VAS) will aid in further connecting the Consulate with the Indian Community residing in the western part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He added that VAS has been developed keeping in view of the prevailing pandemic which has affected the physical movement of the Indian community. The VAS will aid the Indian community to connect with the Consulate without any need to actually visit the Consulate. This VAS is an additional facility to the walk-in system that will continue to function as usual. The virtual appointment can be booked through the Consulate App, entitled as 'India in Jeddah', which is available in Google Play Store and Apple iOS. The App has a provision for 'Book Appointment', with date and time slots, where the users can book a virtual appointment with the Consulate as per their convenience and the meeting will take place through Zoom App. Issues Like, visa, passport, OCI, exit issues, jail, death related compensation, etc. will be dealt by VAS. Once the virtual appointment is booked for a given date and time, the Consulate officials will initiate the Video Call and will address the concerns/queries. The Virtual Appointment System (VAS), unique of its kind, is yet another step towards using digital technology as a tool to bridge the gap between the Consulate and the Indian community. The VAS is expected to further enhance welfare services for the Indian community residing in the western part of Saudi Arabia. — SG
