Enrolment facilities in UAE would benefit everyone, residents say

Indian expatriates in the UAE have demanded that the government of India should make arrangements in the UAE for them to enrol in India’s Aadhaar, a unique identification system. An estimated 2.8 million Indians are living in the UAE.

Abhimanyu Nandita Shekhawat,

29, a regional marketing manager from Rajasthan, said he could not make an Aadhaar card during his vacations in India. “Most of my Indian friends and acquaintances in the UAE also don’t have it. If the government of India can arrange Aadhaar enrolment in the UAE, it will help everyone,” he said.

Tushar Raut

, 31, a management consultancy professional from Bengaluru, said she and her husband were not in a position to travel to India before June 30 deadline to get an Aadhaar card and link it with PAN [Permanent account number]. “We switched jobs recently and we can’t go soon.”

She is concerned about accessing banking and financial services without Aadhaar. “I wish the Indian government would open enrolment centres in the UAE or extend the June 30 dealine,” Raut said.

Prakash Thambi,

45, a contract manager from Kerala, said the government should extend the deadline for NRIs with regard to liking PAN and Aadhaar. “I could not get the card as it was not easy for me during m y short vacations in Kerala. This is the case with most Indians I know,” Thambi said.

He said he welcomed the unique identification system for security and easing government transactions. “However, its implementation should be without causing any inconvenience to people, especially expats living away from India,” he said.

Alok Tuteja,

an internal audit manager, who has an Aadhaar card, said most of his Indian colleagues and friends in the UAE do not have one and are unlikely to get one before June 30 deadline. “I think the government will have to give some sort of exemption to Indian expatriates in this regard,” he said.