New initiative offers help to Indian groups

An outreach programme between the Community Development Authority (CDA) and dozens of Indian groups begins on Wednesday at the Indian consulate.

DUBAI // An outreach programme between the Community Development Authority (CDA) and dozens of Indian groups begins today at the Indian consulate.

The six-day initiative is the first of its kind and will assist with registrations for expatriate-run clubs and groups. Officers of the CDA, the emirate's social regulatory and licensing department, will be available at the consulate from February 23 to February 28.

Officials will also provide forms to register associations under the Indian Community Welfare Committee (ICWC), an aid group under the consulate's patronage.

A senior CDA official said the department was responsible for co-ordinating with community clubs to enable them to play an active role in Dubai's development.

"We invite social organisations representing the Indian community in Dubai to come forward, learn more about the vision of the CDA and use the free registration facility to regularly interact with the CDA," said Dr Omar al Muthanna, the chief executive of the agency's licensing department.

The inter-group interaction was important to allow organisations to fully understand the processes involved in registration, said K Kumar, the ICWC president.

"There was no clear-cut path before," he said. "This will give a certain amount of locus standi [legal standing] for all organisations to get into the mainstream and do their work."