A mobile app for Indian workers in distress in Oman coming soon

Muscat: A mobile app to help Indian workers in distress, especially those in blue-collar jobs, will be launched soon, its makers have said.

“In close cooperation with the Indian embassy in Muscat, the app that will be launched soon will help Indians in Oman to reach out to the Indian embassy officials, Oman-based social organisations, the Indian emigration offices, India-based social organisations and other agencies involved in aiding migrants,” Jose Chacko, a Muscat-based Indian businessman who is supporting the app, said.

Named ‘MigCall’, the non-commercial app can be downloaded from Google Play Store and will run on android platform.

“Once you register your name and a few more details, it will automatically download five Oman-based and five India-based helpline numbers. The user has to go only once online for this. The numbers will be saved in his telephone contact list,” Jose added.

The Oman-based numbers will include the Indian embassy’s 24x7 helpline number, which will be attended to by multi-lingual dedicated officials, in addition to social workers’ numbers in Muscat.

The India-based numbers will include state-wise emigration office numbers and CIMSKERALA, an NGO which stands for the rights of Indian migrants all over the world. The app’s registration and description will be available in English, Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bangla languages. In addition to the telephone contact numbers, the app will also have quick icons for sending emails to the Indian embassy, social organisations and emigration offices in India.

“The idea to develop such an app came up after I found that majority of Indians in Oman are clueless about how to approach or contact Indian embassy or social organisations when in distress. Even if we distribute booklets containing the telephone numbers, they misplace these. So I thought of creating an app which will ensure that help remains on their fingertips,” said Rejimon K, a journalist who conceptualised the app.

“The Indian embassy, with which the app was discussed, welcomed the move and has assured all support. This app will prove to be a boon for the Indian expatriates in distress,” Rejimon added.

The app, developed by Cocoalabs, an Indian software firm, is supported by Manila-based Migrant Forum in Asia, which stands for the rights of migrants, and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

“The app will be widened to cover other expatriate communities in Oman and later, other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will also be covered,” Rejimon added.