Lok Sabha Question No. 1969 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Illegal Trade to Send Indians Abroad
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1969 TO BE ANSWERED 03.07.2019

## ILLEGAL TRADE TO SEND INDIANS ABROAD

## † 1969. SHRIMATI RANJAN BEN: DHANANJAY BHATT:

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

- (a) whether the trade of sending Indian Citizens abroad in a fraudulent way is growing fast in various parts of the country;
- (b) if so, whether the government is contemplating to take any concrete and effective steps to check and prevent it; and
- (c) if so , the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefore?

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

(a) to (c) Complaints are received from time to time by the Ministry of External   Affairs   from   and/or   on   behalf   of   Indian   emigrants   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 robust grievance redressal mechanisms, including online MADAD and e-Migrate portals   for   registration   of   grievances   of   emigrants   who   have   been subjected to cheating.

On receipt  of   details   of   such   illegal   agents,   the   complaints   are forwarded   to   the   concerned   State/UT   Government   urging   them   to apprehend illegal agents and prosecute them, since Law & Order is a State   subject.   On   receiving   request   from   the   concerned   State Government, Prosecution Sanction is issued expeditiously by the Ministry of   External   Affairs,   enabling   them   to   initiate   legal   action   against   the accused agents. Wherever required, such complaints are also referred to Missions/Posts   abroad   for   urgent   follow   up   with   local   sponsors   and/or Government,   and   rendering   all   possible   assistance   to   the   aggrieved persons.

Government has also issued Standard Operating Procedure to be followed   by   States   on   receipt   of   complaints.   Visual   and   print   media campaign is also launched from time to time, encouraging emigrants to utilize the services of the registered Recruitment Agents and not to go through illegal/fake agents.

In   order   to   promote   safe   and   legal   emigration   and   to   curb malpractices, high-level Conferences of major labour sending States have

been   convened   by Ministry   of   External   Affairs,   during   which   State Governments were inter-alia requested to pro-actively arrest the growth of illegal agents who indulge in overseas recruitment activity illegally and take strict action against them. The aspect of safe and legal migration is also included in various State Outreach Programmes (SOP) conducted in States from time to time. As   per   the   available   records,   the   number   of   complaints   against unregistered agents received and referred to State Governments during the period of 2017 to May 2019 is as under:

| Year   |   No. of Complaints received |   Cases referred to State Governments for action |   Prosecution Sanction sought by State Governments |   Prosecution Sanction issued by Ministry of External Affairs |
|--------|------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2017   |                          446 |                                              446 |                                                 30 |                                                            30 |
| 2018   |                          350 |                                              350 |                                                 15 |                                                            15 |
| 2019 # |                          214 |                                              214 |                                                 22 |                                                            22 |

***

# (up to 31st May, 2019)