How would you like to assess the current status of the UAE-India bilateral relations?
India and the UAE bilateral relationship is built on the foundation of strong people to people connect and civilisation affinities that has been elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Our collaboration is multi-pronged that sees cooperation across sectors including energy, food security, health, defence, space, cultural and advanced technologies.
India has assumed the presidency at G20 and the UAE has taken reins of COP28 presidency. We look forward to the immense opportunities and possibilities from this synergy, shared vision, and complementary strengths of India and the UAE to lead at global platforms and contribute to the progress of both the countries and for the world.
How does the consulate plan to promote trade and FDI opportunities in India as well as the UAE in 2023?
The consulate has been organising and supporting various events under the framework of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed last year. Buyer-seller meets, B2B meetings with participation from India and the UAE-based companies are regularly organised.
We also organised investor roadshows with the support of states such as Odisha, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Promotion of Indian start-ups has been our core area of interest. Recently, we marked the National Start-up Day with the 25th Elevate pitching series wherein start-ups and key stakeholders participated.
The year 2023 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of the Millet following India’s initiatives to promote the crop. We will organise various events to promote various millet-based products in the UAE.
How is the consulate in Dubai facilitating welfare of the Indian community?
Consulate is open 365 days to serve the community. Our team remains dedicated towards maintaining the high standard of delivering swift consular services. We regularly organise awareness campaigns and interaction with Indian blue collar workers in Dubai and the northern emirates.
We are committed to work towards bringing skilled Indian workforce in alignment with the vision of the UAE leadership. The Training for Emirates Jobs and Skills (TEJAS) project was launched last year in collaboration with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to source, train, certify and place skilled Indian workforce with employers in the UAE. Under this programme, we have placed several workers and received positive feedback from the employers.
Would you like to share a special message on the Republic Day?
As we celebrate the 74th Republic Day, I warmly congratulate the Indian community for their contribution towards strengthening the bonds of friendship between India and the UAE and wish prosperity and good health for the year ahead.
At the recently held 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas that celebrates Indian diaspora from around the world, the largest overseas delegation was from the UAE. For the first time, we included over 200 students and 100 blue collar workers. We look forward to continuing this enthusiastic engagement with the community and make rightful contributions both in India and the UAE. ●
