Lok Sabha Question No. 445 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-24
Subject: Problems Faced by Indians Living Abroad
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Faizal P.P. Mohammed

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.445 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2019

## PROBLEMS FACED BY INDIANS LIVING ABROAD

## *445. SHRI MOHAMMED FAIZAL P.P.:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of cases which have been brought to the notice of the Ministry/Government concerning the issues of Indians living abroad, particularly from the Gulf countries during the last three years and the current year;
- (b) whether there is any committee or body in the Ministry which regularly reviews the problems being faced by the Indians living abroad;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and;
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [DR. SUBRAHMANYAM JAISHANKAR]

- (a) to (d) A statement is laid on the T able of the House.

***

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) to (D) OF THE LOK   SABHA   STARRED   QUESTION   NO.   *445   REGARDING 'PROBLEMS FACED BY INDIAN LIVING ABROAD' FOR ANSWER ON 24.07.2019.

Government of India attaches high priority to addressing and resolving the issues and grievances of Indian nationals living abroad. Issues and grievances can be brought to the notice of the Government through any means both in India as well as at the Indian Missions and Posts abroad.

Cases concerning issues of Indians living abroad brought to the attention of the Government are systematically registered and monitored on the MADAD portal which was inaugurated in February 2015 with a view to ensuring their disposal in a time-bound, transparent and accountable manner. Tracking and monitoring through MADAD has significantly strengthened the mechanism for addressing and resolving the grievances of all overseas Indians.

Since February 2015 till July 18, 2019, a total of 50,605 grievances have been registered on MADAD out of which 44,360 grievances have been successfully resolved, thus making the resolution rate of grievances registered on MADAD nearly 90%. Out of these, 36,805 grievances pertained to Indians living in the countries of the Gulf region. Year-wise and country-wise details of grievances registered on the MADAD portal are given in Annexure .

The grievances registered on MADAD are tracked on a real time basis and reviewed regularly. The platform itself is designed to escalate the grievances to higher levels in case not responded to on time. A special MADAD unit has been created in the Ministry of External Affairs whose task is to monitor the progress of cases on MADAD and ensure their timely redressal. Pending cases on MADAD are reviewed on a regular basis both in the Missions and Posts abroad as well as in the Ministry and efforts made to resolve them.

Apart from review of cases registered on MADAD, relevant issues flagged by our Missions and Posts are taken up from time to time including through inter-Ministerial discussions as appropriate.

To address issues pertaining to Indian Students abroad, an Expert Group, having officials   from   stakeholder   Ministries   and   government   bodies   (Ministry   of   External Affairs,   Ministry   of   Human   Resource   Development,   Ministry   of   Health   and   Family Welfare, Medical Council of India) and including representatives of select Embassies based in New Delhi has been established. Two meetings of the Expert Group, on March 13, 2018 and August 9, 2018 respectively, have been organized till now.

Similarly, an Integrated Nodal Agency (INA) has been set up under Ministry of Women & Child Development which is functioning as a single window mechanism to find   timely   solutions   to   the   problems   of   Indian   women   married   to   overseas   Indian spouses.

***

## ANNEXURE

| DETAILS OFCOUNTRYWISE GRIEVANCES REGISTERED ON MADADPORTAL   | DETAILS OFCOUNTRYWISE GRIEVANCES REGISTERED ON MADADPORTAL   | DETAILS OFCOUNTRYWISE GRIEVANCES REGISTERED ON MADADPORTAL   | DETAILS OFCOUNTRYWISE GRIEVANCES REGISTERED ON MADADPORTAL   | DETAILS OFCOUNTRYWISE GRIEVANCES REGISTERED ON MADADPORTAL   | DETAILS OFCOUNTRYWISE GRIEVANCES REGISTERED ON MADADPORTAL   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Mission Name                                                 | 2015                                                         | 2016                                                         | 2017                                                         | 2018                                                         | 2019                                                         |
| Afghanistan                                                  | 39                                                           | 34                                                           | 10                                                           | 19                                                           | 5                                                            |
| Algeria                                                      | 6                                                            | 8                                                            | 10                                                           | 3                                                            | 3                                                            |
| Angola                                                       | 13                                                           | 22                                                           | 12                                                           | 10                                                           | 2                                                            |
| Argentina                                                    | 1                                                            | 0                                                            | 2                                                            | 1                                                            | 2                                                            |
| Armenia                                                      | 2                                                            | 8                                                            | 16                                                           | 31                                                           | 2                                                            |
| Australia                                                    | 60                                                           | 96                                                           | 112                                                          | 105                                                          | 35                                                           |
| Austria                                                      | 4                                                            | 7                                                            | 7                                                            | 1                                                            | 5                                                            |
| Azerbaijan                                                   | 1                                                            | 3                                                            | 4                                                            | 9                                                            | 0                                                            |
| Bahrain                                                      | 88                                                           | 145                                                          | 323                                                          | 571                                                          | 91                                                           |
| Bangladesh                                                   | 18                                                           | 28                                                           | 21                                                           | 32                                                           | 7                                                            |
| Belarus                                                      | 1                                                            | 0                                                            | 0                                                            | 2                                                            | 0                                                            |
| Belgium                                                      | 4                                                            | 6                                                            | 14                                                           | 6                                                            | 4                                                            |
| Bhutan                                                       | 3                                                            | 6                                                            | 7                                                            | 4                                                            | 4                                                            |
| Botswana                                                     | 1                                                            | 9                                                            | 1                                                            | 1                                                            | 0                                                            |
| Brazil                                                       | 1                                                            | 5                                                            | 4                                                            | 3                                                            | 1                                                            |
| Brunei Darussalam                                            | 3                                                            | 4                                                            | 6                                                            | 3                                                            | 7                                                            |
| Bulgaria                                                     | 0                                                            | 0                                                            | 0                                                            | 1                                                            | 2                                                            |
| Cambodia                                                     | 0                                                            | 13                                                           | 3                                                            | 8                                                            | 34                                                           |
| Canada                                                       | 64                                                           | 133                                                          | 144                                                          | 104                                                          | 47                                                           |
| Chile                                                        | 0                                                            | 2                                                            | 3                                                            | 0                                                            | 0                                                            |
| China                                                        | 43                                                           | 85                                                           | 97                                                           | 70                                                           | 36                                                           |
| Colombia                                                     | 3                                                            | 3                                                            | 3                                                            | 2                                                            | 0                                                            |
| Cote d'Ivoire                                                | 2                                                            | 10                                                           | 11                                                           | 9                                                            | 7                                                            |
| Croatia                                                      | 0                                                            | 0                                                            | 1                                                            | 0                                                            | 0                                                            |
| Cuba                                                         | 1                                                            | 1                                                            | 1                                                            | 1                                                            | 0                                                            |
| Cyprus                                                       | 1                                                            | 6                                                            | 11                                                           | 8                                                            | 3                                                            |
| Czech Republic                                               | 0                                                            | 3                                                            | 5                                                            | 4                                                            | 2                                                            |
| Dem Republic of the Cong                                     | 11                                                           | 15                                                           | 18                                                           | 6                                                            | 10                                                           |
| Denmark                                                      | 4                                                            | 3                                                            | 9                                                            | 2                                                            | 2                                                            |
| Djibouti                                                     | 0                                                            | 0                                                            | 0                                                            | 0                                                            | 1                                                            |
| Egypt                                                        | 3                                                            | 9                                                            | 11                                                           | 7                                                            | 3                                                            |
| Ethiopia                                                     | 4                                                            | 21                                                           | 38                                                           | 24                                                           | 11                                                           |
| Fiji                                                         | 2                                                            | 6                                                            | 6                                                            | 1                                                            | 1                                                            |
| Finland                                                      | 1                                                            | 4                                                            | 7                                                            | 2                                                            | 1                                                            |
| France                                                       | 17                                                           | 31                                                           | 45                                                           | 35                                                           | 19                                                           |
| Germany                                                      | 28                                                           | 56                                                           | 72                                                           | 55                                                           | 25                                                           |
| Ghana                                                        | 15                                                           | 25                                                           | 28                                                           | 3                                                            | 4                                                            |
| Greece                                                       | 10                                                           | 5                                                            | 5                                                            | 10                                                           | 0                                                            |
| Guatemala                                                    | 0                                                            | 2                                                            | 3                                                            | 0                                                            | 0                                                            |
| Guyana                                                       | 2                                                            | 3                                                            | 7                                                            | 4                                                            | 1                                                            |
| Hungary                                                      | 1                                                            | 2                                                            | 3                                                            | 1                                                            | 0                                                            |
| Iceland                                                      | 2                                                            | 2                                                            | 0                                                            | 0                                                            | 1                                                            |
| India                                                        | 316                                                          | 116                                                          | 249                                                          | 8                                                            | 18                                                           |
| Indonesia                                                    | 6                                                            | 37                                                           | 42                                                           | 33                                                           | 26                                                           |
| Iran                                                         | 26                                                           | 62                                                           | 54                                                           | 61                                                           | 27                                                           |
| Iraq Ireland                                                 | 29 3                                                         | 68 11                                                        | 41 19                                                        | 36 5                                                         | 21 7                                                         |

| Israel           | 8    | 10   | 8    | 8    | 8    |
|------------------|------|------|------|------|------|
| Italy            | 55   | 44   | 42   | 31   | 16   |
| Jamaica          | 3    | 8    | 5    | 1    | 2    |
| Japan            | 12   | 17   | 8    | 31   | 7    |
| Jordan           | 6    | 19   | 9    | 14   | 11   |
| Kazakhstan       | 1    | 5    | 4    | 3    | 0    |
| Kenya            | 13   | 27   | 14   | 12   | 6    |
| Kuwait           | 253  | 480  | 365  | 305  | 269  |
| Kyrgyzstan       | 1    | 12   | 2    | 10   | 2    |
| Lebanon          | 10   | 7    | 9    | 12   | 6    |
| Libya            | 21   | 35   | 33   | 14   | 9    |
| Madagascar       | 2    | 3    | 5    | 2    | 3    |
| Malawi           | 1    | 2    | 3    | 2    | 1    |
| Malaysia         | 321  | 926  | 1024 | 1103 | 445  |
| Maldives         | 24   | 20   | 27   | 10   | 7    |
| Mali             | 1    | 2    | 0    | 4    | 0    |
| Malta            | 0    | 0    | 0    | 1    | 0    |
| Mauritius        | 17   | 8    | 7    | 7    | 6    |
| Mexico           | 1    | 6    | 7    | 5    | 4    |
| Mongolia         | 1    | 0    | 0    | 0    | 0    |
| Morocco          | 0    | 3    | 1    | 0    | 0    |
| Mozambique       | 3    | 11   | 8    | 5    | 4    |
| Myanmar          | 10   | 3    | 5    | 7    | 4    |
| Namibia          | 0    | 1    | 0    | 0    | 0    |
| Nepal            | 18   | 33   | 37   | 36   | 12   |
| Netherlands      | 4    | 18   | 30   | 20   | 4    |
| New Zealand      | 9    | 40   | 50   | 28   | 11   |
| Niger            | 0    | 0    | 0    | 0    | 1    |
| Nigeria          | 34   | 87   | 51   | 36   | 24   |
| North Korea      | 0    | 0    | 0    | 0    | 1    |
| Norway           | 4    | 4    | 4    | 3    | 3    |
| Oman             | 214  | 403  | 444  | 394  | 219  |
| Pakistan         | 9    | 41   | 24   | 19   | 9    |
| Palestine        | 0    | 1    | 0    | 0    | 1    |
| Panama           | 2    | 3    | 4    | 5    | 0    |
| Papua New Guinea | 2    | 1    | 1    | 0    | 2    |
| Peru             | 1    | 1    | 1    | 0    | 2    |
| Philippines      | 19   | 32   | 38   | 36   | 8    |
| Poland           | 0    | 10   | 14   | 19   | 6    |
| Portugal         | 3    | 21   | 5    | 3    | 3    |
| Qatar            | 185  | 278  | 2868 | 3244 | 1629 |
| Romania          | 0    | 3    | 0    | 3    | 4    |
| Russia           | 19   | 34   | 25   | 30   | 15   |
| Rwanda           | 0    | 0    | 0    | 0    | 2    |
| Saudi Arabia     | 1991 | 5244 | 3288 | 6392 | 1980 |
|                  |      | 0    | 1    | 0    | 0    |
| Serbia           | 0    |      |      |      |      |

| Seychelles           | 2    | 2     | 4     | 1     |     2 |
|----------------------|------|-------|-------|-------|-------|
| Singapore            | 49   | 79    | 84    | 62    |    30 |
| Slovenia             | 0    | 1     | 0     | 0     |     0 |
| South Africa         | 24   | 21    | 29    | 26    |    15 |
| South Korea          | 5    | 2     | 6     | 6     |     4 |
| Spain                | 14   | 14    | 24    | 21    |     4 |
| Sri Lanka            | 9    | 43    | 20    | 31    |     9 |
| Sudan                | 6    | 11    | 22    | 11    |     4 |
| Suriname             | 6    | 2     | 3     | 6     |     2 |
| Sweden               | 0    | 12    | 10    | 3     |     4 |
| Switzerland          | 4    | 10    | 14    | 10    |     3 |
| Syria                | 1    | 1     | 0     | 0     |     1 |
| Tajikistan           | 0    | 3     | 0     | 1     |     2 |
| Tanzania             | 24   | 29    | 26    | 14    |     6 |
| Thailand             | 21   | 84    | 42    | 36    |    24 |
| Trinidad And Tobago  | 0    | 2     | 3     | 0     |     0 |
| Turkey               | 4    | 5     | 10    | 9     |     4 |
| Uganda               | 9    | 16    | 14    | 10    |     3 |
| Ukraine              | 7    | 9     | 14    | 9     |     4 |
| United Arab Emirates | 680  | 1203  | 1340  | 1151  |   794 |
| United Kingdom       | 97   | 188   | 217   | 70    |    51 |
| USA                  | 225  | 554   | 574   | 360   |   199 |
| Uzbekistan           | 10   | 5     | 1     | 1     |     3 |
| Venezuela            | 0    | 2     | 2     | 2     |     0 |
| Vietnam              | 3    | 6     | 8     | 9     |    13 |
| Yemen                | 17   | 12    | 18    | 6     |     4 |
| Zambia               | 4    | 15    | 6     | 9     |     5 |
| Zimbabwe             | 1    | 3     | 0     | 1     |     0 |
| Total                | 5342 | 11359 | 12464 | 15026 |  6414 |
| Grand Total          |      |       |       |       | 50605 |

***