Cocoalabs, an India-based software company, has developed a new app to support distressed Indian workers in Oman.  The app will include five Oman-based and five India-based helpline numbers which Indian migrant workers can access offline using any basic android phone.

Named ‘MigCall,’ the free app will be available for downloaded from Google Play Store.

The Oman-based numbers will include the Indian embassy’s 24X7 helpline number, which will be attended by multi-lingual dedicated officials in addition to social worker’s numbers in Muscat. The India-based numbers will include the numbers of state-wide emigration office as well as CIMSKERALA, a NGO which advocates Indian migrants globally.

The app will be available in English, Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali languages.

“In close cooperation with the Indian embassy in Muscat, the app will be launched soon. This app will help Indians in Oman to reach out the Indian 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 sponsored the app.

“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.

In addition to the telephone contact numbers, the app will also feature quick icons for sending emails to the Indian embassy, social organizations, and emigration offices in India.

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

“When discussed with the Indian embassy, they welcomed the move and have assured all support. This app will be boon for the Indian expatriates in distress,” Rejimon added.

Migrant Forum in Asia, a Manila-based migrant right’s organisation, and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) are also supporting the 

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

The app is a promising solution to the lack of information and access to support mechanisms that many migrants experience across the GCC.