Lok Sabha Question No. 1729 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-13
Subject: Fake Institutions
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: RAMESH POKHRIYAL NISHANK

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1729

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2019

## FAKE INSTITUTION

## †1729. DR. RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK':

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the proper steps taken by the Ministry to check the fraud in the name of providing jobs abroad and torture of youth by the fake institution;
- (b) the steps taken to provide immediate assistance by the Indian Embassies to the Indian citizens who become the victims of forgery in foreign country;
- (c) whether the Ministry  has   made   arrangement  of   online   mechanism   to   bring improvement in this area; and
- (d) if so, the action taken by the Ministry against forgery and fake institutions ?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c)  Complaints are received from time to time by the Ministry of External Affairs from Indian emigrants or their relatives  who are dispatched  for overseas employment fraudulently by illegal agents/ fake agencies and are thereafter subjected to cheating, denial of jobs, poor working conditions etc. The Ministry of External Affairs, (MEA) has a robust grievance redressal mechanism including MADAD and e-Migrate portals for online registration of grievances of emigrants who have been subjected to cheating.

On receipt of details of such illegal agents, received upon reporting by the victims or their relatives and family who do so, the complaints are forwarded to the   concerned   State/UT   Government   and   Police   authorities   urging   them   to apprehend illegal agents and prosecute them. On receiving request from the concerned State Government/Police authorities, Prosecution Sanction are issued expeditiously by the Ministry of External Affairs, enabling them to initiate legal action against the accused illegal agents. Wherever required, such complaints are also referred to Mission/Posts abroad for providing relief/rescue.

Government of India has revised the guidelines of the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) in the Indian Missions to enable Indian Missions to meet contingency   expenditure   incurred   by   them   for   carrying   out   various   on-site welfare activities for overseas Indian Citizens who are in distress, on a means tested basis.

(d) As   per   the   available   records,   the   number   of   complaints   against unregistered agents received and referred to the State Government/Police during the period of 2016-2018 is as under:

| Year   | No. of   | Cases referred to State Prosecution Sanction Prosecution Sanction   |
|--------|----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|

|      |   Complaints |   Governments action |   for sought by State Government |   issued by Ministry of External Affairs |
|------|--------------|----------------------|----------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 2016 |          231 |                  231 |                               42 |                                       42 |
| 2017 |          446 |                  446 |                               30 |                                       30 |
| 2018 |          350 |                  350 |                               15 |                                       15 |

*****