CHANDIGARH JANUARY 09: On the advice of the Government of India, the Punjab government has nominated Principal Secretary Home Affairs & Justice Mr. DS Bains as a single point Nodal Officer for verification of people seeking the benefit of the Amnesty scheme in UAE.
In a letter to Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Mr. Vayalar Ravi, the Chief Minister apprised him that Mr. Bains could be contacted at his office phone no.0172-2742771, 2749603 or email ID dhanbirbains@gmail.com. His office address is Room No.10, 8th Floor, Punjab Civil Secretariat, Sector 1, Chandigarh.
It may be recalled that the Indian Ambassador in UAE has intimated that the UAE government has declared Amnesty from 4th December, 2012 to 3rd February 2013. The Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi and Consulate General of India, Dubai has been asked to ensure hassle-free return of Indians in UAE seeking benefits of the Amnesty scheme.
The Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs had impressed upon Mr. Badal through a DO letter requesting him to nominate some authority/agency/officer as a single point Nodal Officer for this purpose besides making provision for free air-tickets to needy and deserving workers from Punjab who were permitted to leave UAE under the amnesty scheme.
Mr. Ravi also informed the Chief Minister that Indians staying illegally were required to report to Embassy/Consulate for issue of emergency certificates, which were issued after establishing the nationality of the individual. In many cases, the mission was required to contact the state governments to establish/verify the details submitted by the individuals at short notice. In the normal circumstances, it took time to respond to the mission’s queries due to involvement of multi-layer government departments. Henceforth, the state government should nominate some authority/agency/officer as a single point nodal officer for verification of identity of people seeking the benefit of the amnesty scheme in UAE.
