Lok Sabha Question No. 3903 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: Workers Stuck Abroad
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Chhatar Singh Darbar, Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava, Virendra  Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3903 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2019

## WORKERS STUCK ABROAD

## † 3903. SHRI CHHATAR SINGH DARBAR: SHRI MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA:

## DR.VIRENDRA KUMAR:

Will the Minister of External Affairs be pleased to State :

- (a) whether several workers have been stuck in foreign countries on account of illegal practices of agents who send workers to foreign countries;
- (b) if so, the details in this regard;
- (c) whether the Government has received any complaints in this regard; and
- (d) if   so,   the   details   thereof   along with the remedial measures taken by the Government in this regard?

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

(a) to (d) Ministry of External Affairs from time to time receives complaints from Indian Emigrants or their relatives who had been sent fraudulently for overseas employment by illegal agents.

On account of the fact that, such persons are sent in an illegal manner, unless the victims report or are caught by authorities, the details of the persons transported to other countries are not fully available.

As per the available records, number of cases forwarded to the State/Union Territory   (UT)   Governments   against   illegal   agents   and   number   of   Prosecution Sanctions issued during 2016-2019 are appended below:

|   Year |   No. of Complaints |   Cases referred to State Government for action |   Prosecution Sanction sought |   Prosecution Sanction issued |
|--------|---------------------|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|   2016 |                 231 |                                             231 |                            42 |                            42 |
|   2017 |                 446 |                                             446 |                            30 |                            30 |
|   2018 |                 350 |                                             350 |                            15 |                            15 |

| 2019 #   | 610   | 610   | 34   | 34   |
|----------|-------|-------|------|------|

# (up to 31 st  October, 2019).

Ministry of External Affairs has issued a Standard Operating Procedure to be followed by State/UT Governments on receipt of complaints of cheating by illegal agents. Visual and print media campaigns are also launched from time to time for promoting legal and safe migration and encouraging emigrants to use the services of registered Recruiting Agents to avoid being trapped by illegal/fake agents.

In order to promote safe and legal emigration and to curb the overseas recruitment activities being carried out by illegal agents, several conferences at the level of External Affairs Minister (EAM) have been held in last five years. In all the meetings, the State/UT Governments were, inter-alia, requested to proactively take measures to check the growth of illegal agents and to take strict action against   them.   They   were   also   requested   to   launch   awareness   campaigns   in vernacular medium for wider coverage and dissemination, which are being done.

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