Lok Sabha Question No. 170 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-16
Subject: Fake Agents
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: MURALI MOHAN MAGANTI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.170 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.11. 2016

## FAKE AGENTS

170.   SHRI M. MURALI MOHAN:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that most of the unemployed youth, workers, etc. including women hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other States are being cheated by the fake agents  on the promise of getting job in Gulf Countries; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the steps proposed to be taken by the Government to stop recurrence of such incidents?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]

- (a)
- Yes.
- (b) The  Government  has  been  receiving,  from  time  to  time, complaints/ grievances from emigrants and their family members/relatives of being cheated by illegal agents. Such complaints  are  forwarded  to  concerned  State  Governments  and police  authorities  urging  them  to  apprehend  illegal  agents  and prosecute them on the basis of complaints. Wherever required such complaints  are  also  referred  to  Mission/Post  abroad  for  providing relief.

As per the available records, the number of complaints against unregistered agents received and referred to the State Governments from the year 2011 onwards are as under:

| Year                |   No. of Complaints |   Cases referred to State Govt for action |   Prosecution Sanction sought |   Prosecution sanction issued |
|---------------------|---------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| 2011                |                 225 |                                       225 |                             9 |                             9 |
| 2012                |                 254 |                                       240 |                            16 |                            16 |
| 2013                |                 272 |                                       261 |                            05 |                            05 |
| 2014                |                 170 |                                       153 |                            08 |                            08 |
| 2015                |                 195 |                                       101 |                            11 |                            11 |
| 2016 (Upto 30 Sep.) |                 180 |                                       171 |                            32 |                            32 |

Government has also issued Standard Operating Procedure on 26th May, 2016 to be followed by States on receipt of complaints. Visual  and  print  media  campaign  are  also  launched  from  time  to time besides engaging various NGOs encouraging people to use the services  of  Registered  Recruiting  Agents  and  not  to  go  through Illegal/Fake Agents. Every month the list of illegal agents reported to the  Government  from  the  Overseas  Workers  Resources  Centre (OWRC) are sent to the State Governments for launching investigation  and  prosecution.  These  measures  are  expected  to reduce the activity of illegal recruitment in the States/UTs.

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