Members of the Indian Association Sharjah will get a monthly Rs1,000 pension after relocation to India, the association said yesterday.

"The managing committee has decided to implement its long-cherished project of giving a monthly Rs1,000 pension to those members who are already settled in India for more than six months after cancellation of the UAE residence visa," it said in a statement.

K. Hassankutty, treasurer, explained the scheme is to help life members of the association after they get repatriated.

"Another scheme is for those members who leave the UAE after April 15, 2002, and would not like to avail themselves of the monthly pension. They can collect Rs100,000 once they surrender their membership, cancel their UAE residence visa and leave the UAE for good to settle in India," the statement added.

The association has recently been granted an additional plot of land by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, for the expansion for Sharjah Indian School.

The managing committee expressed its gratitude to Dr Sheikh Sultan for his benevolence to the Indian community.

The association has during the last 23 years rendered service to the community in the social, cultural, educational and humanitarian fields, with K. Bhagavath Singh, president, Y.A. Rahim, general secretary, and K. Hassankutty, treasurer, being the key movers behind the numerous activities it conducts today.