Lok Sabha Question No. 4661 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-28
Subject: Indian Workers in Gulf Countries
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Eatala Rajender, Smt. D K Aruna, Shri Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, Shri Suresh Kumar Shetkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 4661

ANSWERED ON- 28/03/2025

INDIAN WORKERS IN THE GULF COUNTRIES

4661. SHRI EATALA RAJENDER

SHRI D. K. ARUNA

SHRI SURESH KUMAR SHETKAR

SHRI CHAMALA KIRAN KUMAR REDDY

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

(a) whether dangers faced by Indian workers abroad particularly in Gulf remain a concern and these workers, who lack eligibility for citizenship in their host countries, contribute significantly to India's economy through remittances - about $111 billion in 2022;

- (b)  if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Indian Government has made any attempts to regulate labour migration in view of the hardship and exploitative work conditions faced by Indian workers in Gulf countries; and

(d) if   so, the details and the present status thereof  alongwith the help extended in this regard till date?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) & (b) The Government of India accords highest priority to the safety, protection and well-being of Indian workers abroad by various mechanisms in place to ensure safety and protection of Indian workers.

The Government has established various mechanisms to enable Indian workers abroad to reach out to the Indian Missions in case they need any assistance. Indian workers can contact the Missions/Posts through various channels like walk-in, email, social media, multilingual 24x7 emergency numbers and also grievance redressal portals like MADAD, CPGRAMS etc. In   addition,   Indian   Missions/Posts   abroad   have   established   Toll   Free Helplines, WhatsApp numbers and have launched mobile Apps to enable Indian nationals contact respective Indian Missions/Posts when in distress or in emergency situation.

The Missions in Gulf Countries have provisions for shelter home to assist Indian   women   in   distress   by   providing   boarding   and   lodging,   medical

treatment and arranging for their repatriation. Female workers who are stranded and are in distress can approach the Embassies at any time of the day   and   they   are   accommodated   and   provided   all   facilities   till   their repatriation to India.

Besides, Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendras (PBSK) have been set up in New Delhi and at Dubai (UAE), Riyadh & Jeddah (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and   Kuala   Lumpur   (Malaysia)   to   provide   assistance,   guidance   and counselling to Indian nationals in distress.

Further,   the   Government   has   taken   several   initiatives   such   as   Pravasi Bhartiya   Bima   Yojna   (PBBY)   and   Pre-Departure   Orientation   &   Training (PDOT) in ensuring that Indian migrant workers undertake safe migration, have decent working and living conditions in destination countries, are aware of their rights and have access to various welfare schemes of the Government.

(c) & (d) The   process   of   recruitment   of   Indian   nationals   holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports and emigrating for overseas employment to any of the 18 notified ECR countries, which also include Gulf countries, is regulated under The Emigration Act, 1983. As per this Act, no person/agency can function as a Recruiting Agent without having a

valid Registration Certificate (RC) issued by the Registering Authority i.e. Protector   General   of   Emigrants   (PGE).   Engaging   in   the   business   of recruitment of Indian nationals for overseas employment without having obtained valid RC as mandated under Section 10 of the Emigration Act, 1983, is a punishable offence under Section 24 of the Act. It is also mandatory for ECR passport holders proceeding for employment to any of the   18   notified   Emigration   Check   Required   (ECR)   countries   to   obtain Emigration Clearance (EC) from any of the 16 Protector of Emigrants (POE) offices across the country.

For the blue collared Indian workers, the process of recruitment is done through   a   web-based   application   i.e.   eMigrate   portal.   The   web-based application makes the process of emigration fully digital, transparent, safe, legal, humane, efficient, convenient, and faster. It seamlessly brings all stakeholders,   including   Foreign   Employers   (FEs),   registered   Recruiting Agents (RAs) and the prospective emigrants on a common platform and enables MEA to capture comprehensive and online database. A dedicated helpline and support system is also available to assist emigrants and other stakeholders to address any query/issue. The advisories/alerts on fake job offers and fraudulent/unregistered recruitment agencies are hosted on the

portal. An updated, revamped and user friendly eMigrate-V2.0 portal has jointly been inaugurated by Minister of External Affairs and Minister of Labour & Employment, Youth Affairs & Sports on 14 October 2024.

Labour and Manpower Cooperation Agreements are in place with the Gulf countries   Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan, that provide bilateral framework for cooperation on labour and manpower issues. These MoUs and Agreements have provision of implementation through   a   Joint   Working   Group   where   matters   related   to   welfare   and protection   of   workers   are   taken   up   during   regular   meetings   of   Joint Working Groups with concerned countries. In addition, such matters are also   regularly   taken   up   with   respective   host   governments   through diplomatic channels.

Further,    as   additional   safeguard   for   protection   and   safety   of   the   ECR Category Female workers (including domestic sector workers) who are often in the most vulnerable category,   Government has authorized only State run Recruiting Agencies (RAs)  to recruit Indian female ECR category workers   for   overseas   employment   in   Gulf   and   other   ECR   Category Countries through the e-Migrate Portal.  Moreover, there is a minimum age

criteria   of   30   years   for   ECR   Category   female   workers   for   overseas employment to protect them against exploitation. The Missions/Posts utilize the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) from time to time to provide financial and legal assistance to Indian national in distress abroad on a means-tested basis. Under ICWF, the major assistance includes   Boarding   &   Lodging,   Air   Passage   to   India,   Legal   Assistance, Emergency Medical Care, Transportation of Mortal Remains to India, and Payment of Small Fines and Penalties.  Details   of   assistance   provided through ICWF in the Gulf Countries is given in Annexure A.

## ANNEXURE A

| Headwise ICWF beneficiaries details from 2022 to 2024   | Headwise ICWF beneficiaries details from 2022 to 2024   | Headwise ICWF beneficiaries details from 2022 to 2024   | Headwise ICWF beneficiaries details from 2022 to 2024   | Headwise ICWF beneficiaries details from 2022 to 2024   | Headwise ICWF beneficiaries details from 2022 to 2024            | Headwise ICWF beneficiaries details from 2022 to 2024   | Headwise ICWF beneficiaries details from 2022 to 2024                             | Headwise ICWF beneficiaries details from 2022 to 2024   |
|---------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| 2022                                                    | 2022                                                    | 2022                                                    | 2022                                                    | 2022                                                    | 2022                                                             | 2022                                                    | 2022                                                                              | 2022                                                    |
| Sl No.                                                  | Country                                                 | Boarding & Lodging                                      | Emergency Medical Care                                  | Air Passage to stranded Overseas Indians                | Legal Assistance (EXCLUDING assistance to deserted Indian women) | Transportatio n of Mortal Remains                       | Assistance to Indian women deserted by their overseas Indian/ foreigner husbands. | Small Fines & Penalties                                 |
| 1                                                       | Bahrain                                                 | 17                                                      | 1                                                       | 41                                                      | 4                                                                | 11                                                      | 0                                                                                 | 1                                                       |
| 2                                                       | Iraq                                                    | 33                                                      | 2                                                       | 14                                                      | 0                                                                | 2                                                       | 0                                                                                 | 7                                                       |
| 3                                                       | Jordan                                                  | 1                                                       | 1                                                       | 0                                                       | 0                                                                | 1                                                       | 0                                                                                 | 0                                                       |
| 4                                                       | Kuwait                                                  | 4911                                                    | 95                                                      | 416                                                     | 0                                                                | 40                                                      | 0                                                                                 | 0                                                       |
| 5                                                       | Qatar                                                   | 4843                                                    | 2                                                       | 49                                                      | 114                                                              | 9                                                       | 0                                                                                 | 2                                                       |
| 6                                                       | Oman                                                    | 3947                                                    | 224                                                     | 359                                                     | 0                                                                | 12                                                      | 0                                                                                 | 83                                                      |
| 7                                                       | Saudi Arabia                                            | 83                                                      | 85                                                      | 75                                                      | 0                                                                | 137                                                     | 0                                                                                 | 1                                                       |
| 8                                                       | UAE                                                     | 943                                                     | 19                                                      | 748                                                     | 6                                                                | 160                                                     | 0                                                                                 | 1173                                                    |

| 2023   | 2023         | 2023               | 2023                   | 2023                                     | 2023                                                             | 2023                              | 2023                                                                              | 2023                    |
|--------|--------------|--------------------|------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------|
| SL No. | Country      | Boarding & Lodging | Emergency Medical Care | Air Passage to stranded Overseas Indians | Legal Assistance (Excluding assistance to deserted Indian women) | Transportatio n of Mortal Remains | Assistance to Indian women deserted by their overseas Indian/foreig ner husbands. | Small Fines & Penalties |
| 1      | Bahrain      | 7                  | 0                      | 21                                       | 5                                                                | 16                                | 0                                                                                 | 2                       |
| 2      | Iraq         | 16                 | 0                      | 5                                        | 0                                                                | 3                                 | 0                                                                                 | 6                       |
| 3      | Jordan       | 0                  | 0                      | 2                                        | 0                                                                | 1                                 | 0                                                                                 | 0                       |
| 4      | Kuwait       | 1485               | 1                      | 44                                       | 1                                                                | 28                                | 0                                                                                 | 0                       |
| 5      | Qatar        | 5592               | 0                      | 32                                       | 156                                                              | 13                                | 0                                                                                 | 0                       |
| 6      | Oman         | 5825               | 136                    | 488                                      | 138                                                              | 19                                | 0                                                                                 | 189                     |
| 7      | Saudi Arabia | 293                | 74                     | 93                                       | 2                                                                | 87                                | 0                                                                                 | 4                       |
| 8      | UAE          | 444                | 37                     | 638                                      | 6                                                                | 100                               | 1                                                                                 | 518                     |

| 2024     | 2024             | 2024               | 2024                   | 2024                                           | 2024                                                                                         | 2024                                                                              | 2024                    |
|----------|------------------|--------------------|------------------------|------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------|
| SL No. 1 | Country          | Boarding & Lodging | Emergency Medical Care | Air Passage to stranded Overseas Indians Legal | Assistance (EXCLUDING assistance to deserted Indian women) Transportatio n of Mortal Remains | Assistance to Indian women deserted by their overseas Indian/foreig ner husbands. | Small Fines & Penalties |
| Bahrain  | 9                | 0                  | 41                     | 5                                              | 8                                                                                            | 0                                                                                 | 0                       |
| 2        | Iraq 3           | 0                  | 3                      | 0                                              | 2                                                                                            | 0                                                                                 | 2                       |
| 3        | Jordan 0         | 0                  | 1                      | 0                                              | 1                                                                                            | 0                                                                                 | 3                       |
| 4        | Kuwait 0         | 0                  | 19                     | 4                                              | 33                                                                                           | 8                                                                                 | 0                       |
| 5 Qatar  | 548              | 3                  |                        | 55 72                                          | 21                                                                                           | 0                                                                                 | 0                       |
| 6 Oman   | 3922             | 21                 |                        | 61 36                                          | 9                                                                                            | 0                                                                                 | 107                     |
| 7        | Saudi Arabia 231 | 20                 |                        | 67 1                                           | 98                                                                                           | 0                                                                                 | 9                       |
| 8        | UAE              | 213 32             |                        | 233 0                                          | 103                                                                                          | 3                                                                                 | 76                      |

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