Indians in Saudi Arabia
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
2018
Return journey from Saudi Arabia begins
Mir Ayoob Ali Khan, June 7, 2018: The Times of India
From: Mir Ayoob Ali Khan, June 7, 2018: The Times of India
HIGHLIGHTS
No official figures are available on how many non-resident Indians are returning home, neither in India nor in Saudi Arabia.
Nearly 30 lakh Indians are engaged in various sectors in Saudi Arabia. Of these, people from Kerala form the largest chunk of 40%, followed by 20 to 25% from Telangana.
The trickle of Indian workers sending away their families from Saudi Arabia is giving rise to fears that it could turn into a tide in the near future. No official figures are available on how many non-resident Indians are returning home, neither in India nor in Saudi Arabia. But, several schools in Hyderabad have reported sudden spurt in the numbers of admissions of the wards of Gulf NRIs, who have come back from Saudi in the last few weeks.
M A Lateef, Chairman, MS Group of Schools, said so far over 200 students, mostly girls, who have returned from Saudi, have been given admission. "Parents are saying that living in Saudi Arabia with families is becoming increasingly expensive, so many of them are sending them to India," Lateef said.
Authorities of many other schools concur with Lateef. They said this year there is a marked spurt in admissions of Gulf NRI children, especially from Saudi Arabia.
The head of another chain of schools, Springfield, reported admission of over 150 Gulf NRI children. Humaira Hyder believes that the admissions would continue for a few more weeks. "In fact, we are expecting more students. The parents are in disarray. They say they have little or no savings. Getting education is a priority which cannot be put off," Hyder said.
Mohammad Ziauddin Nayyar, a social activist who is associated with a number of schools in the city, said, "What is going on is forced separation of families which will have a negative impact on the social and economic fabric."
"We have reports that more numbers of students from Saudi Arabia are visiting schools in Hyderabad. Their first preference is schools which follow CBSE system. Most admissions are being sought in schools located in Asifnagar, Mehdipatnam and Tolichowki areas," Fazlur Rahman Khurram, president of Private Schools Management, said. Khurram himself runs a school called Dawn in Malakpet.
Nearly 30 lakh Indians are engaged in various sectors in Saudi. Of these, people from Kerala form the largest chunk of 40%, followed by 20 to 25% from Telangana. The remaining Indians are from states such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. From Telangana, the most number of NRIs are from Hyderabad, Karimnagar and Nizamabad.
Mohammad Baquer, another social activist who returned to Hyderabad a few months ago after over three decades of stay in Saudi, said the Saudi government has started levying fee on various services it offers to expatriate population. The most cumbersome is 'Residence Fee' that is now being charged per person annually as against per family earlier. Therefore, bigger the family, more expensive it is to stay. "There is no way for an averagely paid worker to keep his family as he has to pay house rent, meet expenses of food, provide education and also pay new levies," he said.
Lateef said since it is a distressed situation for the NRIs, he has begun to offer concessions. "If other schools also waive off admission and other fee, it would help the Gulf returnees tide over the difficult times."
Meanwhile, Baquer said it is time for Telangana government to step in and help the Gulf returnees and their children.
Why Indian expats in Saudi are sending kin back
June 8, 2018: The Times of India
HIGHLIGHTS
Saudi Arabia's imposition of an annual Residence Fee, based on per person, on expatriates has forced several migrant Indian workers to send back their families to India
While there are no exact numbers on how many NRIs have returned, an increasing rush for admission of children of expats in schools in Hyderabad has brought to light this issue
There are concerns that the trickle of Indian workers sending away their families from Saudi Arabia can turn into a tide into the near future.
Fleeing from fee
The Saudi government has started levying fee on various services it offers to the expatriate population. The imposition of an annual Residence Fee + , based on per person, on expatriates has forced several migrant Indian workers there to send back their families to India. Earlier, the Saudi government charged the fee per family.
Skinning the expats
The fee for dependents, which is currently Saudi Arabian Riyal (SAR) 100 per month per dependent family member, will double from July 1, 2018, to SAR 200, with further increases scheduled from July 1, 2019, to SAR 300 and to SAR 400 from July 1, 2020. Which means a family of four will shell out SAR 9600 (Rs 1.72 lakh) for the year starting July 1.
Dipstick survey
While there are no exact numbers on how many non-resident Indians have returned, an increasing rush for admission of children of expats in schools in Hyderabad has brought to light this issue.
Sources at various schools said they are giving admissions to considerable number of NRI students. Schools in Hyderabad that are popular for NRI children are those that offer CBSE syllabus, because the same system is followed by Indian schools in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
Homeward bound
Of the nearly 32.5 lakh Indians working in Saudi Arabia, expat Malayalees form the largest chunk, at 40%, followed by those from Telangana, at 20-25%. The remaining expat workers hailing from Maharashtra, UP and Rajasthan. From Telangana, the most number of NRIs are from Hyderabad, Karimnagar and Nizamabad.
