Lok Sabha Question No. 2912 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-10
Subject: NRI Husbands
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Balubhau (Alias Suresh Narayan) Dhanorkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2912 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.07.2019

## NRI HUSBANDS

## 2912.    SHRI BALUBHAU ALIAS SUERSH NARAYAN DHANORKAR:

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken necessary steps to protect Indian Women facing abandonment or divorce or other problems from their NRI husbands;
- (b) if so, the number of complaints lodged by women in this regard during each of the last three years; and
- (c) the action taken by the Government on the said complaints?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## [SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]

(a) to (c) This Ministry has been receiving petitions from Indian women deserted or harassed by their NRI spouses.   Between January, 2016 and 31st May, 2019 this Ministry (including the Indian Missions abroad) has received and addressed 4698 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 addressed   |
|------------------------|----------------------------------|
| 2016                   | 1510                             |
| 2017                   | 1498                             |
| 2018                   | 1299                             |
| 2019 ( upto 31 st May) | 391                              |
| Total                  | 4,698                            |

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.

Besides,   with   an   aim   to   provide   online   consular   assistance expeditiously to Indian nationals who are in distress abroad (including marital dispute), MADAD portal - an online Consular Grievance Monitoring Systemwas launched in 2015 and a module 'Marital Disputes' was added to the portal to provide digital platform to the distressed Indian nationals married to NRIs.

In addition, with an aim to provide financial and legal assistance to distressed women married to NRI spouses by all Missions and Posts, the Indian   Community   Welfare   Fund   (ICWF)   Guidelines   were   revised   in September, 2017.  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 it to take steps to assist the woman in documentation and preparatory work for filing the case. Further,   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 recommendation 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 as an effective body and providing a single window timely solution   to   the   problems   of   Indian   women   married   to   overseas   Indian spouses. So far, the INA has had fifteen sittings and has issued eight Look Out Circulars against the erring spouses. 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 proposed legislation would offer greater protection to Indian citizens married to NRIs and help as a deterrent to the Non Resident Indians against harassment of their spouses, and force the accused NRI spouse to come back to India to face the legal consequences of his overt and covert acts.

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