With increasing number of Indians facing harassment abroad, the government has set up a welfare fund at various Indian missions, mainly in the Gulf region, to help such workers in times of difficulty.
With increasing number of Indians facing harassment abroad, the government has set up a welfare fund at various Indian missions, mainly in the Gulf region, to help such workers in times of difficulty.
The Indian Community Welfare Fund, which came into effect from January one, would be used for extending help and cooperation to distressed and underprivileged Indian workers mainly in Gulf countries.
"The Fund has been set up to equip the missions better in ensuring protection and welfare of overseas Indian workers in the ECR (Emigration Check Required) countries,"
Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry Secretary K Mohandas told PTI.
The requirement for such a fund at the Indian missions in ECR countries, home to a sizeable number of Indian workers, had been long felt because of increase in number of harassment cases and ill treatment of Indian workers by their employers.
Mohandas said the Fund will help the missions extend a host of welfare services to Indians in distress and in need. He said setting up of the Fund is part of efforts to protect the interests of the genuine migrants.
Emigration clearance for Indians is required in 17 countries of which 12 are in the Gulf region including Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
The Ministry has plans to amend the Emigration Rules to revamp the recruiting agent system. It is also working on an e-governance project to transform the emigration system by designing an integrated process connecting all stakeholders and activities in the migration process.
It has already set up an Overseas Workers' Resource Centre in New Delhi to provide need based information among the intending emigrants about the legal process of emigration, the pitfalls of illegal emigration and the precautions to be exercised.
A helpline was also launched to provide the emigrants and their families necessary information and assistance. Officials said the Ministry has signed an MoU with the Punjab government to work together on preventing illegal migration and will be launching a series of measures in this regard.
The Ministry has already signed an MoU with the UAE and Kuwait for bilateral cooperation for the protection and welfare of Indian workers.
An additional protocol has been signed with the Government of Qatar to supplement the existing bilateral labour agreement.
India earlier this month signed a bi-lateral labour mobility agreement with Malaysia aimed at improving the recruitment, employment conditions of workers and promote legal migration.
With the agreement, both countries hope to reduce the activities of unscrupulous recruitment agents and provide workers a fair deal as far as working terms and conditions and promises about compensations are concerned.
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