Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured all possible support to Indians working in Qatar and reminded them of the channels available to them to contact him directly if they felt a need to do so while addressing a meeting of the workers at the Msheireb Downtown Doha
on Saturday.
Modi arrived in Qatar Saturday evening on a two-day official visit from Afghanistan and soon proceeded to Msheireb for the meeting with the Indian workers. He was accompanied by HE the Minister of Finance Ali Sherif al-Emadi, HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, Msheireb Properties CEO Abdulla al-Mehshadi and Indian ambassador Sanjiv Arora.
Speaking in Hindi for almost 15 minutes, the visiting prime minister recalled the state visit of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to India in March last year and highlighted that the HH the Emir had greatly appreciated the Indian community in Qatar for their hard work and dedication.
The premier interacted with the workers and his speech was greeted with frequent applause by them. He assured them of all possible support from the Indian government.
He said that every Indian had the opportunity to contact him directly through the mobile app as well as the website launched for this purpose. “Anytime you can contact me through the app or through the website from anywhere in the world. We will address your issues with priority,” he said.
The prime minister said the image of India was growing by leaps and bounds and it largely depended on the actions of the people of the country.
“It is not the prime minister or anybody in the higher offices of the country that builds the image of a nation," he said. "It is the people of the country who build up the image of their nation through their dedication, sincerity, diligence and honesty. You are the ones who represent the nation and your actions will help improve the status of the country in a big way.”
He also said that India was expecting a very good monsoon this year and it would benefit the country in a big way. “As it is expected to rain heavily this year, your families back home also will benefit as most of you come from agricultural families. It is a good sign of development and progress and the country will benefit from such a season.”
One of the workers, Vinod Kumar from the south Indian state of Kerala had a pleasant surprise when the prime minister sat with him and shared food with him. “I could not believe it. I was so happy and excited as he came to me and sat by my side. He also shared the food that the organisers had given to me. It was unbelievable,” he exclaimed.
The Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF) celebrated the silver jubilee of its medical camps on the occasion as it held its 25th camp on the Msheireb premises. More than 500 workers from different states of India were provided free check-up and treatment at the venue by 18 doctors and other medical personnel.
Indian envoy Arora said that Modi’s visit was a historical one as it further cemented the age old relations between the two countries.