Indian Consulate in Saudi Arabia to digitally step in to help bereaved families

Shahid Alam, a young diplomat of 2010 batch, soon after assuming charge as Consul General in Jeddah, realized that the complex task of completing legal formalities.

Jeddah: Sixty-year-old Khaja Begum, resident of Santosh Nagar in Hyderabad, was relieved when she received her late husband Gulam Samdani death certificate instantly from Indian consulate in Jeddah recently through digital mode.

Khaja Begum has been running from pillar to post for over a year to obtain the death certificate of her husband, who was in Saudi Arabia along with his family to perform Umrah and died in 2019. Since Samdani was a retired government employee and pensioner, she was in dire need of the death certificate.

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The death certificate is being issued by Indian consulate in Jeddah for any Indian national who died in this part of the world, whether NRI or visitor or pilgrim.

Khaja Begum, thanks to the death certificate, could complete several legal formalities after receiving her husband’s death certificate by e-mail.

This case exemplifies how digital reach of Indian diplomatic missions in the region makes it easier not only for those living abroad but also for the family back home in India.

Shahid Alam, a young diplomat of 2010 batch, soon after assuming charge as Consul General in Jeddah, realized that the complex task of completing legal formalities in dealing with the death was complicated and a daunting one.

Shahid Alam is working towards minimising the time taken while dealing with everything related with the death, starting from issuing No Objection Certificate to Death Certificate by utilising digital process.

Shahid Alam also restored access to aggrieved and destitute Indian nationals into the consulate premises which was restricted earlier amidst the pandemic.

The Indian Consulate that has a record of path breaking initiative in using digital technology to deal with the massive Indian Haj pilgrims in the past is now moving to usher another platform for an interface involving the common man especially in case of death.

The Consulate is set to launch a mobile app soon that will be useful for all Indian nationals whether in Saudi Arabia or back home in India. The proposed app will prove to be an instant help even for people like Khaja Begum.

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