Lok Sabha Question No. 688 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-20
Subject: Complaints of NRI Brides
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shashi Tharoor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 688 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.11.2019

## COMPLAINTS OF NRI BRIDES

## 688. DR. SHASHI THAROOR :

## Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) Whether the Government is aware that the number of complaints received from distressed NRI Indian Women, who get deserted by their NRI husbands, has been on the rise in the last five years;
- (b) if   so,   the   details   thereof   including   the   number   of   complaints   received, resolved and pending during the above time-period;
- (c) whether the Government has online consular services for Indian women nationals who are in distress abroad and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether there is any future proposals for introducing such a system that can look after their interests and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether there is legislation in place for their protection and the existing mechanism to serve judicial summons to the acused NRI husbands and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) if not, the reasons thereof ?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]

(a) & (b) Between January 2015 and October, 2019, this Ministry (including the Indian Missions abroad) has received and addressed 6094 complaints of distressed Indian women deserted by their NRI spouses. The year-wise data of the complaints addressed are as below:

| Year                             |   Number of Complaints received |   Number of Complaints addressed |   Pendenc y |
|----------------------------------|---------------------------------|----------------------------------|-------------|
| 2015                             |                             796 |                              796 |           0 |
| 2016                             |                            1510 |                             1510 |           0 |
| 2017                             |                            1498 |                             1498 |           0 |
| 2018                             |                            1299 |                             1299 |           0 |
| 2019 (up to 31 st October, 2019) |                             991 |                              991 |           0 |
| Total                            |                            6094 |                             6094 |           0 |

(c) Ministry of External Affairs launched MADAD Portal in February 2015. It provides for online registration, tracking and resolution of grievances of Indians including the distressed Indian brides, who are in distress, in a transparent, time bound, and accountable manner.  Tracking and monitoring through MADAD has significantly   strengthened   the   mechanism   for   addressing   and   resolving   the grievances of overseas Indians.

MADAD is one of the flagship initiatives of the Ministry of External Affairs under Digital India and is an integrated digital platform which is seamlessly spread across websites, mobile based platforms including IOS and Android as well as emails and text messages providing users with end-to-end digital tracking and monitoring with a view to have timely resolution of their grievances.

(d) The Government has adopted multipronged approach to give respite to the wives   deserted   by   their   NRI   husbands.   Ministry   of   External   Affairs   provides counseling, guidance and information about legal procedures, mechanisms for serving judicial summons on the Overseas Indian husband; filing a judicial case in India, issuing Look Out Circulars; impounding and revocation of Indian passport of the husband to such aggrieved women.

The  Indian   Community   Welfare   Fund   (ICWF)   Guidelines   were   revised   in September,   2017  with   an   aim   to   provide   financial   and   legal   assistance   to distressed women married to NRI spouses by all Indian Missions and Posts abroad. The amount of legal & financial assistance to distressed Indian women has also been   increased   to   US$   4000   per   case.     The   assistance   is   released   to   the empanelled legal counsel of the applicant or Indian Community Association / Women's Organisation / NGO concerned to enable them to take necessary and appropriate steps to assist the woman in documentation and preparatory work for filing the case.

An Expert Committee was set up to identify legal and regulatory challenges faced by Indian nationals married to overseas Indian nationals and to suggest amendments in existing Acts/legislations or new policies / laws / regulations. Upon recommendations of the Expert Committee, an Integrated Nodal Agency (INA) was constituted.

The INA is headed by Secretary, Women & Child Development . The other members of the INA are a) Joint Secretary (Judicial) & Joint Secretary (Foreigners),

Ministry of Home Affairs, b) Joint Secretary (OIA-II), Ministry of External Affairs, and c)   Joint   Secretary   (Legal),   Ministry   of   Law   &   Justice.  The   INA   is   functioning effectively and providing a single window timely solution to the problems of Indian women married to Overseas Indian spouses.  So far, the INA has had sixteen sittings and has issued eight Look Out Circulars against the erring spouses.

(e) & (f) It   may   be   noted   that   the   service   of   judicial   processes (summons, notices, orders, etc.) outside India is regulated by reciprocal arrangements finalized and notified by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Criminal matters and Ministry of Law & Justice (MoL&J) in civil and commercial matters. Accordingly,   any   court   documents   for   service   is   routed   through   the   Central Authority in India i.e. Ministry of Home Affairs in Criminal matters and Ministry of Law & Justice in Civil and Commercial matters.

Despite the measures taken by the Government of India to ameliorate the problems faced by Indian citizens married to NRI spouses, it was felt that these measures are not sufficient and the existing laws need to be amended to provide a more effective solution to the problem. Therefore, a bill titled 'The Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019' was introduced in Rajya Sabha on February 11, 2019. The Bill envisages (i) Registration of Marriages by Non-Resident Indians; (ii) Amendment to the Passports Act 1967 and (iii) Amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973.

***