Lok Sabha Question No. 1599 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: Legal Immigration
Ministry: OVERSEAS INDIAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: KAMLA DEVI PATLE

Government of India

Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1599**

To be answered on 29 th July, 2015

**Legal Immigration**

**†1599. SHRIMATI KAMLA DEVI PAATLE:**

Will the Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs be pleased to state:

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(a) whether heavy demand of various skilled/unskilled Indian workers including domestic maids and house nurses exist in foreign countries;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has taken any steps for encouraging of systematic and legal immigration of such people and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government has conducted any study regarding working conditions of domestic maids, nurses and other Indian workers; and

(e) if so, the details and outcome thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

**ANSWER**

**MINISTER OF STATE FOR OVERSEAS INDIAN AFFAIRS**

**GENERAL V.K. SINGH (RETD.)**

1. to (b): The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs regulates the emigration of ECR category passport  holders going for employment to the 18 ECR countries, namely Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, UAE and Yemen. It is evident from data on workers granted emigration clearance over the past three years, given in Annexure, that there is a demand for Indian workers. This data includes details of domestic maids and house nurses who would have gone abroad after taking emigration clearance.

(c): The Emigration Act, 1983, regulates the terms and conditions of overseas employment and seeks to protect and safeguard the interests of

Contd/…2

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Indian workers going overseas for employment on contractual basis.

Some of the specific measures for the protection of female domestic household workers in the above category include a minimum age restriction of 30 years for eligibility to migrate and mandatory pre-attestation of the employment contract by the Indian Mission.  The employer is also required to provide a prepaid mobile phone and make a deposit of a security amount of US$2500 with the Indian Mission.

The Government has signed MOUs on labour with seven major labour receiving countries, namely, Jordan, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Malaysia, to lay down the framework for bilateral cooperation for the protection and welfare of workers.

(d) and (e): Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has partly funded the Centre for Development Studies, Kerala for publishing the following papers concerning overseas migrants:

(i) Transnational Masculinity: Indian Nurses’ Husbands in Ireland.

(ii) Nurse emigration from Kerala: “Brain circulation” or “Trap”.

These papers were included in a book relating to social costs of migration.

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**Annexure**

| **Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha unstarred Question No. 1599 due for reply on 29/07/2015.**   |                                 |                     |                         |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------|-------------------------|
| Country                                                                                                                   | **Emigration Clearances given** |                     |                         |
| Country                                                                                                                   | April2012-March2013             | April2013-March2014 | April 2014-March , 2015 |
| AFGHANISTAN                                                                                                               | 95                              | 200                 | 76                      |
| BAHRAIN                                                                                                                   | 20598                           | 15073               | 16314                   |
| INDONESIA                                                                                                                 | 25                              | 34                  | 19                      |
| IRAQ                                                                                                                      | 1903                            | 7379                | 1171                    |
| JORDAN                                                                                                                    | 1447                            | 1638                | 2113                    |
| KUWAIT                                                                                                                    | 58865                           | 76474               | 78396                   |
| LEBANON                                                                                                                   | 252                             | 249                 | 393                     |
| LIBYA                                                                                                                     | 01                              | 415                 | 0                       |
| MALAYSIA                                                                                                                  | 20976                           | 22014               | 25548                   |
| OMAN                                                                                                                      | 80334                           | 57337               | 57458                   |
| QATAR                                                                                                                     | 66901                           | 79631               | 74839                   |
| SUDAN                                                                                                                     | 399                             | 217                 | 194                     |
| SYRIA                                                                                                                     | 05                              | 05                  | 0                       |
| SAUDI ARABIA                                                                                                              | 377494                          | 339857              | 340001                  |
| THAILAND                                                                                                                  | 07                              | 27                  | 50                      |
| UAE                                                                                                                       | 147370                          | 220392              | 229504                  |
| YEMEN                                                                                                                     | 0                               | 05                  | 03                      |
| **Total**                                                                                                                 | **776672**                      | **820947**          | **826079**              |