KUWAIT: Indian Ambassador Sibi George speaks during the open house at the embassy on Wednesday.

By Sajeev K Peter

KUWAIT: The Indian Embassy in Kuwait held an open house under the theme 'COVID-19 Vaccination', underlining the importance of inoculation in view of the surge in infections in the country. "I have made 'COVID-19 Vaccination' as the main theme of today's open house. It is the single most important issue that all of us including our Indian community face today," Indian Ambassador Sibi George told the open house on Wednesday.

The ambassador requested all Indians in Kuwait to register for the vaccination. "No Indian can be left behind. We need to reach out to all Indians including domestic workers, drivers, one and all. Everyone above 16 years needs to register. Vaccination is the only way to get back to a normal situation," he added.

Appealing to all to adhere to and abide by the regulations and procedures announced by the government, including the curfew timings, George said the embassy has seen a few cases of deportation due to violation of curfew timings. The embassy has opened two counters at its premises for vaccine registration.

The ambassador urged all associations, groups, volunteers and social workers to start a campaign to register. "I urge those without civil IDs or proper documents to also come forward and register with the embassy. We will work with the authorities to ensure that all Indians get vaccinated," he added.

In March, the embassy closed down its public service at the chancery premises for 10 days due to the COVID situation, although it continued emergency services. It also continued passport services at three centers in Sharq, Fahaheel and Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh.

Talking about the issue of examinations, George said: "For the first time, we held Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) in Kuwait this year. We also have Kuwait as a center for NEET and NATA examinations. I am sure that this will help many students during these difficult times," he said. Regarding the CBSE examinations, he said the embassy is in regular touch with authorities in India and Kuwait.

The ambassador said the embassy is still grappling with a few unresolved issues like the Indian sailors on the MV Ula and missing persons like Harish Shanker. "Harish went missing with his car. Unfortunately, we are yet to get a breakthrough on the matter. We are working with the authorities," he said. Ansar Kabeer, another person who also went missing this week, has been located, George revealed. The embassy has also made some progress on the engineers' issue, he added.