Indian citizens in Gulf will continue receiving best opportunities: India's Foreign Secy

Harsh Vardhan Shringla, the Foreign Secretary for the Ministry of External Affairs, engaged in a candid Q&A session post his address with Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), which touched upon various pressing concerns around foreign policies, diplomatic relations and more. The foreign secy answered some individual concerns of panelists who'd been a part of the ICWA lecture, and one important question was regarding the Indian citizens facing challenges in the Middle Eastern countries during the pandemic.

There are 8-10 million citizens in the Middle East, which is a strong professional community with unmatched skillset. The Indian diplomat emphasised on the importance of the community living abroad in the Middle East and highlighted the efforts that Indian government has taken to ensure continued support to them.

The foreign secretary said through human resources, the country aims to strengthen foreign relations. The government has also taken note of those who've returned to India under Vande Mataram mission. The skills of those who returned are recorded. and the ministry of labour and skills development has reached out to them to place them accordingly to best utilise their talents, Harsh Vardhan said, responding to one of the queries.

"We will be engaged. We are in best of relations, and further strengthened by the initiatives taken by PM. Our citizens in the Gulf will continue to receive the best opportunities," foreign secy Harsh Vardhan assured.