Lok Sabha Question No. 1731 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-26
Subject: Fake Agencies
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: DHARAMBIR BHALERAM

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1731 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26.07.2017

## FAKE AGENCIES

## † 1731. SHRI DHARAMBIR:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  a  number  of  fake agencies are functioning in the country which send workers to foreign countries for employment where they get stuck;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the concrete steps taken by the Government to check functioning of these fake agencies; and
- (c) the  number  of  Indian  workers  stuck  in  foreign  countries  and the number of Indian workers returned from there during the last three years, year-wise?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) Yes.  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 Missions/Posts abroad for providing relief/rescue.

As  per  the  available  records,  the  number  of  complaints against  unregistered  agents  received  and  referred  to  the  State Governments during the period of 2012 - 2016 is as under:

|   Year |   No. of Complaints |   Cases referred to State Governments for action |   Prosecution Sanction sought |   Prosecution Sanction issued |
|--------|---------------------|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|   2012 |                 254 |                                              240 |                            16 |                            16 |
|   2013 |                 272 |                                              261 |                            05 |                            05 |
|   2014 |                 170 |                                              153 |                            08 |                            08 |
|   2015 |                 195 |                                              101 |                            11 |                            11 |
|   2016 |                 231 |                                              231 |                            42 |                            42 |

Government has also issued a Standard Operating Procedure on 26th  May, 2016, to be followed by States on receipt of complaints. The State Governments have also been requested to launch periodic visual and print media campaign creating awareness among people to use the services of Registered Recruiting Agencies, and not to go through Illegal agencies. (c) Government does not maintain data relating to Indian workers stranded  overseas.  However,  as  and  when  requests  from  Indian emigrants in distress, are received, the same are forwarded to the concerned Missions/Posts for providing relief and repatriation on an on-going basis. As per information available from Indian Missions & Posts abroad, 16,980 Indian nationals stranded in strife torn countries -Iraq, Libya, South Sudan, Syria  &  Yemen  sought government's support for various reasons and 16,570 were brought back to India, during the last three years as under:

| Year                                                      |   2014 |   2015 |   2016 | TOTAL   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|--------|--------|--------|---------|
| No.of Indians who sought govt. support to return to India |  10433 |   5863 |    684 | 16,980  |
| No. of Indians who were brought back to India             |  10433 |   5625 |    512 | 16,570  |

As  a  whole,  besides  the  operation  Maitri  during  the  Nepal earthquake,  the  Government  has  rescued/brought  back  more  than 80,000 Indian nationals during the last three year period from 201416.

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