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KT Impact: Indian mission eases passport rule
KT Impact: Indian mission eases passport rule Sajila Saseendran / 12 June 2013 Married Indian expatriates in the UAE will not be denied 10-year passports even if they do not prove their marriage at the time of passport renewal, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi has declared following a Khaleej Times report. The move is expected to benefit many blue-collared Indian workers. The embassy’s announcement on Tuesday came after a KT report on June 2 exposed a rule under which married applicants were forced to settle for short validity passports if they failed to produce a duly attested marriage certificate. Officials were specifically asking for attestation from the home department of the state where applicants’ wedding took place. The report revealed that some applicants started denying their marriage when they were told that they would be issued passports valid for only two years, instead of a full validity of 10 years, due to this rule. Also, several applicants had to pay Dh30 extra to BLS International, the outsourcing agency for Indian passport and visa services, for typing an undertaking to be attached with their application. The undertaking was to assure the authorities the submission of attested marriage certificate by the time of their next passport renewal. After a thorough investigation into the issue, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, M.K. Lokesh, said that the rule was “enforced by the Indian Consulate in Dubai without consulting the Embassy”. “The consulate [officials] had verbally instructed the BLS staff to implement the rule. They have been told to stop it…We are taking corrective measures,” he said. The ambassador said the consulate had been asked to revert to the old system and not limit the validity of the passports based on applicants’ marital status. “It shouldn’t be the case. We ask for proof of marriage only when applicants wish to endorse the name of their spouse. If they don’t, we leave that [column] blank.” However, when indicated that this paper is in possession of a similar complaint from an applicant in Abu Dhabi, Lokesh said he did not wish to talk about individual cases which may have entirely different background. Nevertheless, the Ambassador said the employees of BLS have been instructed not to ask for any undertaking related to submission of attested marriage certificate. According to sources, several hundreds of applicants have already submitted this undertaking, having paid extra money to the service provider. “There is no such requirement. As per the passport rules, an applicant wishing to endorse the spouse’s name has to produce either a duly attested marriage certificate or a joint affidavit sworn before a court in India. If people cannot get the marriage certificate attested by the home department, they have the option of producing the joint affidavit from the court.” In a statement issued to the media, the Embassy clarified that there has been no change in rules regarding the process of updating marital status in Indian passports. “Applicants can update change in personal information, including marital status after marriage or divorce, if any, in their passports by applying for Inclusion / Deletion of Spouse Name Service along with duly attested copies of Marriage Certificate / Divorce Decree issued by the Indian authorities concerned in centres of BLS International, outsourcing service providers of Indian Embassy / Consulate.” “Applicants, in case choose to update change in their marital status at the time of re-issue of passports after expiry of its validity, can also do it by submitting duly attested copies of Marriage Certificate / Divorce Decree by the Indian authorities concerned along with the application for re-issue of passports.” “In case requisite documentary proof is not enclosed along with application, the re-issued passports will continue to reflect marital status as per entries in the previous passports, notwithstanding change in status of the applicants. However, the above will not have any effect on the validity of thus re-issued passports which is normally 10 years subject to fulfillment of other conditions.” “Indian nationals are advised to endeavour to keep updated personal information, including marital status, in their passports to avoid any inconvenience,” the mission said. The Embassy also provided the link http://www.indembassyuae.org/drupal/MiscellaneousPassport for detailed information on process to apply for Endorsement of Spouse Name. In certain urgent or emergency cases, it said, passports are issued for short validity of six months or more but less than the normal validity of 10 years. “In such cases, the remaining validity of the passport could be granted without payment of additional fee as the fee for 10 years is collected at the time of issue of short validity passport.” Some applicants, who had to settle for short validity passports due to the rule that drew flak, welcomed the decision to abolish it. They said it would ease things for several applicants, mainly the workers who were finding it difficult to produce duly attested marriage certificates. sajila@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Water, beverage sales up with rising mercury
Water, beverage sales up with rising mercury Sarah Young (sarah@khaleejtimes.com) / 11 June 2013 Sales of water and other beverages have almost doubled in some retail outlets, as the temperatures rise and people stock up for Ramadan. Aswaaq merchandise and buying senior manager Tariq Masood said bottled water sales had started to rise since the end of April, and would rise continuously through to October — particularly during Ramadan. “During Ramadan, people consume a lot of water (after dark). Consumption is huge. “Before and after Ramadan, water sale growth is between five per cent to 10 per cent, (while) during Ramadan season (growth) is between 20 to 25 per cent.” Overall, sales usually increased one-and-a-half to double the amount sold in winter, he said. A Thirsty Nation Consumption of beverages in the UAE higher than others in the region The beverages industry is growing rapidly in the UAE, with our drinking habits outperforming other countries with much bigger populations in the region. Secretary-General of the Arab Asian Beverage Alliance (AABA) Dr Ahmed Al Banna said the UAE beverage industry was “growing drastically”. Bottled water sales had been steadily rising — about 23 per cent — from a trade volume of 457.4 million litres in 2007, to 545 million in 2010 and 561.6 million in 2012. “There’s big growth in terms of consumption, and this is only natural with the growth of the population in the UAE.” Soft drinks trade volumes had risen from 1,224.4 million litres in 2007, to 1,464.2 million litres in 2012 — an increase of about 20 per cent. Sports and energy drinks were also on the rise, growing about 50 per cent from 16 million litres in 2007 to 24.6 million litres in 2012, as were fruit and vegetable juices which had “increased dramatically due to public awareness of the importance of (these in a person’s diet). “People are also becoming more aware of using … specialised or concentrated drinks for sports.” Fruit and vegetable drink trade volumes had increased 37 per cent, from 192.6 million in 2007, to 264.3 million litres in 2012. “All of these increase during summer.” Consumption in general was high compared to other countries in the region, Al Banna said. For example, the UAE’s consumption of soft drinks was close to that of Egypt despite the large difference in population size. In 2012, Egypt, with a population of about 80 million, had a trade volume of 2,111.4 million litres of soft drinks, only 647 million litres more than the UAE with a population less than a tenth of the size. Al Banna said this could be attributed to the geographical location and the heat, the prevalence of marketing schemes and gimmicks here, and the higher per capita income. “In certain countries, soft drinks are considered to be a luxury item … but not here.” Another comparison could be made with Morocco, which did not have the same extremes of heat, he said. Soft drink trade volumes in the UAE were about 42 million litres more than Morroco in 2012, despite also having only almost a tenth of the population. Along with the weather conditions, the growth of the industry in general could be attributed to population growth, social changes such as more knowledge and awareness, incoming tourism, and per capita income, he said. Sarah Young sarah@khaleejtimes.com Aswaaq supermarkets around Dubai were currently building up stocks to meet the needs over the coming months, and commitments had been made with suppliers to guarantee supply within one hour if stocks ran out. Juices, yoghurt drinks and other beverage sales also increased dramatically in summer, and normally rose about 25 per cent during Ramadan. The cordial drink Vimto, popularly used to break the fast, was the highest seller during this period, with more than 75 per cent of the year’s sales for this product was expected to be occuring then, he said. This was also the case for Rooh Afza rose syrup. Sales assistant at the Eppco fuel station at Beach road in Umm Suqeim 2 Arnold Balede said water sales had started increasing since the end of March, and he had started ordering double the amount of water they usually sold to cope with the rising demand. Al Bashaer Grocery store (also in Umm Suqeim 2) assistant Shihabudheen Kulayam Kazhig said the shop usually sold 80 per cent more water during the summer months. Al Bayan was the most popular, followed by Oasis. Almarai Co juices were also starting to sell more frequently. Customer Ayman El Sayed said he generally drank eight cups of water a day, but this increased to about 12 in summer. He would buy two additional 15.1-litre bottles in summer, for a total of six each week for a family of four. “We only drink bottled water. I’m not sure the tap water is that hygienic … especially after seeing the floods in winter here, I’m not sure about the infrastructure.” Secretary-General of the Arab Asian Beverage Alliance (AABA) Dr Ahmed Al Banna said water and other beverage sales saw a significant spike in the summer months. “The high temperatures and high humidity…it’s medically known you lose a lot of fluid, and you need to replace that by drinking a lot of water.” Medical reports suggested people drink about three litres of water per day, he said. “The environment, the geographical location of the UAE and the high temperatures in summer, especially in the months of July, August and September, drastically bring up the consumption of water — for drinking and for hygiene purposes.” Dubai-based supply chain executive for an energy drinks company Nafeesa Fernandes said their company also usually saw a 40 per cent increase in the sale of energy drinks from June to August each year. She had started buying double the amount of water she usually bought — now 12 two-litre bottles per week — this month as the temperatures started to rise, she said. “I used to buy 24 bottles for a month, I drink much less in winter. I’ll probably go up to 14 a week in the middle of summer. “I also buy a lot more juice now too. I have got really dehydrated here in summer, I would begin coughing a lot … and it affects your energy if you don’t drink enough. It’s really necessary in this country. A lot of people just hand out bottles of water on the streets in summer too. “I do feel a bit bad about the amount of plastic I consume, but we have a recycle bin in the office so that’s good.” Dubai-based Zaineb Qamar, from Hong Kong, said she had also doubled the amount of water she purchased this month. “It’s a common thing here, it’s a need … because of the temperature and the humidity, especially in Abu Dhabi. “You notice steel barrels of water out on the street for the labourers now, which are not normally filled with water. And a lot of guys in the gym drink a lot of energy drinks like Powerhorse and Red Bull.” Continue reading
We will bring minds together for a better future
We will bring minds together for a better future Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum / 11 June 2013 MORE THAN 1,200 years ago, while Europe was in its Dark Ages, the Muslim world was ruled by a dynasty of Islamic leaders who embraced free thought and creativity from all corners of the globe. Never before had history witnessed such cultural openness and symbiosis as during the reign of the Abbasid Caliphs. They built the world’s first university, named it Bayt Al Hikma (‘House of Wisdom’), and filled its library with the finest cultural, scientific and literary creations known to mankind. As early as the ninth century, under the Caliph Al Mamoun, Baghdad had become the world’s capital of science and culture. The city was renowned for embracing all races and religions. It became a magnet for intellectuals, free thinkers and innovators from East and West. Its people developed a passion for gathering together all of the fruits of mankind’s quest for happiness. This celebration of human creativity flourished for more than five centuries and set the stage for the European Renaissance. Looking at the Middle East and its challenges today, it is tempting to think back to that golden age of Islamic culture with wistful nostalgia for a faraway time. But Al Mamoun’s vision is more than ancient history. It is also a solution for the present and the future — a model that we are actively rebuilding, right now. My own country — the United Arab Emirates — stands where it stands today because since our inception we have given the utmost priority to the human mind. Our land has always been a safe harbour for great thinkers. We have welcomed innovative minds and given them the freedom to create. By working together, thousands of experts and specialist from the UAE and around the world have built in Dubai the world’s tallest skyscraper, the largest manmade islands, the largest automated metro network and the third largest airline in the world. In our capital Abu Dhabi, they built the world’s largest carbon-free city, complete with advanced research facilities for renewable energy. Great artistic and cultural minds are collaborating to build a vast cultural and artistic city complete with the greatest international museums. We have been building on an idea that is more than 1,000 years old. Today we want to extend this vision to an international level. We want to host Expo 2020 — a global event in which the cultures, innovations and creations of the world will meet in Dubai. We want to welcome more than 25 million people during six months, so they can see the best of what the human mind can achieve across cultures and races. We want to host the greatest minds in the world to share innovative solutions for global challenges that cannot be dealt with in isolation. Expo 2020 will bring together expert thinkers to share inventive ways to deal with pressing issues such as energy and water. Great minds will also come together to share smart solutions for transportation, sustainability and global economic stability. When we proposed to host the world’s biggest cultural event, we promised to astonish the world. Today we pledge to breathe life into our slogan: we will bring minds together for a better future. We proposed to host this international event in 2020 to deliver three important messages. Our first message is to tell the world that the Middle East is not a region of conflict, war and tension. Its history and geography prove that this is a region where cultures, civilisations and innovation can meet and flourish. Initiatives such as Expo 2020 are an opportunity to restore this role by playing host to the world, communicating positively and openly with its diverse cultures, accepting and embracing ideas and interacting with all people. We are at the heart of the world. Two thirds of the world’s population live less than eight hours away. We are destined to be a meeting point for mankind and a melting pot for cultures and civilisations that will provide humanity with amazing innovations and creations. Our second message is to the people of our region who are tired of conflict and tension. We tell them that we have a culture, a religion and a language in common: if communication among different cultures can bring about a better future, imagine what it could do for us with all our commonalities. We have been trying for more than six decades to communicate and interact positively within our region. We endeavour to unite minds, and then borders; to touch together our hearts before touching on economic interests, and to unify our collective will before unifying our currencies. We have always wanted to establish connections, real connections, to build a better future for the people of our region and its youth in particular. It is time for our region to restore its role in history and civilisation. Our history and our culture have destined us for greatness, and our future should showcase this destiny.Our last message is to the governments representing the 166 countries that will vote next November to choose the winning host country for Expo 2020. We tell them that our region deserves the chance to organise this great world exhibition, that our country is ready to host it, and that we are committed to staging the best Expo in history. We are thankful to the countries that announced their support to us; and to the people of the world our message is that of love and peace. Our slogan will always be that connecting minds creates a better future. It is a slogan of which Caliph Al Mamoun would have been proud. Continue reading
