App developed to help distressed Indian expat workers in Oman

Developed by India-based software company Cocoalabs, the MigCall app will have five Oman and five India helpline numbers which workers requiring assistance can access offline using a basic Android phone. The free app will be available for download from the Google Play Store.

Among the Oman phone contacts will be the Indian Embassy’s 24×7 helpline number, calls on which will be attended by multilingual officials, and numbers of social workers in Muscat. The numbers for India will include that of state-wide emigration office as well as Cimskerala, an NGO working for Indian migrants across the world, a release said.

The app will be available in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali. “The app will be launched soon in close cooperation with the Indian Embassy. This app will help Indians in Oman reach out embassy officials, Oman-based social organisations, the Indian emigration offices, India-based social organisations and other agencies involved in aiding migrants,” said Jose Chacko, a Muscat-based Indian businessman who has supported the app.

“Once you register your name and provide some 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 idea to develop such an app came up after I found that a majority of the Indians in Oman are clueless about how to contact the Indian Embassy or social organisations when they are in distress,” said Rejimon K, a Muscat-based journalist who conceptualised the app.

Migrant Forum in Asia, a Manila-based migrant rights organisation, and the International Trade Union Confederation are also supporting the app. “The app will be extended to other expatriate communities in Oman and to GCC countries later,” Rejimon added.