Indian firms have grow to be dominant in a number of industries all through the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). According to the GCC Statistical Center, success in fields reminiscent of retail, drugs, know-how, training, contracting, and tourism has allowed Indians dwelling within the GCC to ship $89 billion again to India yearly, 65% of India’s whole remittances.

The practically 9 million Indians dwelling in GCC international locations type the most important neighborhood of Indians dwelling overseas. According to statistics launched by the Indian Foreign Ministry in 2022, 3.5 million Indians reside within the United Arab Emirates, 2.5 million reside in Saudi Arabia, 1 million reside in Kuwait, 780,000 reside in Oman, 760,000 reside in Qatar, and 330,000 reside in Bahrain.

Religion in GCC international locations

Islam is the state faith in each GCC nation, however the international locations permit Indians dwelling there to ascertain temples and different associations. Even so, Indians dwelling in GCC international locations don’t are usually remoted from the remainder of society.

On Nov. 24, 2022, the GCC and India agreed to enter into new negotiations a couple of free commerce pact in an try and strengthen cooperation between the 2 sides and entice joint investments.

India and the GCC signed a free commerce framework settlement in 2004 and held detailed negotiations in each 2006 and 2008. Both occasions, the talks fell aside for a wide range of causes, together with relations between the GCC and Pakistan, a rustic with which India has an advanced and hostile relationship.

Despite the dearth of a proper free commerce settlement between India and the GCC, GCC international locations and India have constantly supported each other’s economies. During the COVID-19 disaster, the GCC, led by Saudi Arabia, shipped lots of of tons of oxygen to India. When India banned wheat exports in 2022 amid the worldwide meals disaster brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it made an exception for GCC international locations.

GCC international locations are additionally benefiting from the elevated growth in India because of the nation’s strategic growth initiatives.

In 2019, Saudi Arabia signed infrastructure and trade agreements with India, together with a plan for Saudi Arabia to take a position greater than $100 billion in India.

The UAE established a complete financial partnership with India in February 2022. The plan is supposed to extend bilateral non-oil commerce to $100 billion inside 5 years. The two international locations have greater than $57 billion invested in one another’s economies.

Trade between India and Kuwait quantities to about $10 billion yearly, and Kuwait has $5.5 billion invested in India.

Qatar is residence to about 6,000 Indian firms which have invested about $450 million in Qatar, in line with knowledge from the Qatar Investment Authority.

Trade between India and Oman reached $6.7 billion in 2022. The 6,000 Indian firms in Oman are value $7.5 billion.

Indian investments in Bahrain are value about $1.5 billion, and annual commerce between the 2 international locations is valued at about $1.4 billion.

Indian businessman M. A. Yusuff Ali was ranked by Forbes as the highest Indian enterprise proprietor within the GCC in 2021. Yusuff Ali is chair and managing director of the LuLu Group International, which operates greater than 200 superstores throughout the GCC.

Last month, Yusuff Ali met with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who recommended him for the corporate’s assist of native commerce and meals provide.

Khalid Abdul Rahman, a Bahraini businessman and member of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, instructed The Media Line that he expects continued development in commerce relations between GCC international locations and India.

“It is true that there is competition now, but it may turn into commercial partnerships later, which achieve abundant good for various sectors and merchants,” he stated.

Abdul Rahman stated that the GCC is in search of elevated funding from numerous international locations, together with India.

He additionally stated that he needs employees from GCC international locations themselves to work in GCC-based Indian firms. “There must be a share for the people of the Gulf in the jobs provided by Indian companies,” he stated.

Emirati businessman Mohammed Odeh instructed The Media Line that Indian investments in GCC international locations are a win-win.

“Opportunities are favorable for all merchants and businessmen,” he stated. “The Gulf environment is fertile for investments, and the Gulf countries also need more employment and investments, which is a good opportunity.”

He stated that India’s standing as a big nation with one of many world’s fastest-growing economies makes it a very good associate for the GCC.

“Gulf-Indian relations extend for hundreds of years, so it is not surprising that Indian merchants are a large group in the Gulf countries,” he stated.

Indian businessman Rajesh Novanthan, whose father owns one of many largest Indian hospital teams within the GCC, instructed The Media Line that the GCC is his household’s most well-liked website for funding.

“The Gulf countries depend mainly on foreign labor, so there is no problem in bringing in labor from India,” Novanthan stated. “They live in peace and without any problems, and their wages are cheap and help in developing investments and providing services at competitive prices.”

Habib Tommy, a Bahraini financial journalist, instructed The Media Line that the scenario for Indian employees within the GCC has modified considerably.

“Their wages have increased dramatically, and they have started working in more professional professions, and they are no longer only workers in cleaning and construction,” he stated, noting that many Indians have taken on senior management positions.

“The problem is that this labor transfers more money to their countries. It is true that investments are made in the Gulf countries, but the money returns to India, and the Gulf countries benefit from it only to a small extent, given that [they do] not impose large taxes,” Tommy stated.

He additionally raised the priority that Indian enterprise homeowners working within the GCC usually tend to type alliances with one another, fairly than with native enterprise homeowners.

Ragheb Mohammed, a Saudi financial analyst and journalist, expressed the same sentiment.

“It is true that they are the majority, and they invest some money in the economy, but the sources of their money must be scrutinized, and the wealth they obtained, and where their money goes. They cannot invest here and all their money returns to their countries,” he instructed The Media Line. He alleged that a few of the Indian enterprise homeowners could have gotten their cash by means of unlawful sources.

Mohammed stated that the GCC is seeing little profit from Indian funding seeing as most jobs on the firms are given to Indian employees and nearly all of cash earned is transferred again to India.

“Now there are many sectors that the people of the countries in the Gulf cannot work in or invest in due to the presence of Indian businessmen,” he stated.