UAE grants Golden Visa to Super 30 founder Anand Kumar

Dubai: Super 30 founder Anand Kumar on Tuesday joined the elite list of Indian celebrities, including Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt, who have been granted the ‘Golden Visa’ by the United Arab Emirates government.

The coveted Golden Visa, introduced by the UAE in 2019, grants long-term residency, permitting independent living, working, and studying.

Kumar was nominated for the Golden Visa by the UAE Embassy in India. He officially received it on Tuesday.

Individuals in the fields of science, knowledge, culture, and art are granted the Golden Visa.

Kumar getting the coveted visa represents a noteworthy inclusion from the academic sector, traditionally dominated by Bollywood and sports icons, including Sania Mirza, Boney Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Kamal Haasan, and their family members.

"It is an honour to receive the Golden Visa. I am thankful to the authorities for this,” said Kumar, who has been invited to the UAE to personally receive the honour for his extensive work in the field of education.

Kumar, a Mathematics educator, started his Super 30 programme in Patna in 2002, known for coaching underprivileged students for JEE-Main & JEE-Advanced, the entrance examination for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Kumar was named in Time magazine's list of Best of Asia 2010. In 2023, he was awarded the Padma Shri, fourth highest civilian award by the Government of India for his contributions in the field of literature and education.