Indian state rewards Muscat resident

Muscat: P.M Jabir, a Muscat-based Indian social worker, has been named as a director in the 15-member board to oversee Non-resident Keralites Welfare Fund created by the government in Kerala, a southern state in India.

"I am glad that my work in Oman for the Indians in distress has been honoured by the government of my [Kerala] state," said Jabir, who was last week featured in Gulf News for his selfless social service in Muscat.

Jabir is a Welfare Secretary with the Indian Social Club and founder member of its Kerala Wing.

"The Kerala Legislative Assembly has enacted a bill, with the Governor's sanction, to create a welfare fund for non-resident Keralites, namely Non-Resident Keralites Welfare Fund Act — 2008," said Jabir, who read about his nomination in Malaylam publications yesterday.

"The Act ensures the welfare of non-resident Keralites," said the social worker, who has been helping poor workers and maids in distress for the last two decades.

The fund, he says, would grant relief, pensions and other benefits to non-resident Keralites and at the same time would promote companies, cooperative societies or other institutions of non-resident Keralites for their welfare.

Jabir, 50, says that the 15 fund members are nominated to the Board. The constitution of the Board is five directors representing non-resident Keralites abroad, two directors representing non-resident Keralites in India and four officials representing the Government. There is also one director representing Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants Limited, one representative from Norka- Roots and one director nominated by the Government.