Lok Sabha Question No. 638 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Legal Emigration
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: KAMLA DEVI PATLE

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## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.638 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.04.2016

## LEGAL EMIGRATION

## 638. SHRIMATI KAMLA DEVI PAATLE:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is huge demand of domestic helps and house nurses abroad;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any steps have been taken by the Government to make systematic and legal emigration for them;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has conducted any study to know the working conditions of domestic helps, nurses and other Indian workers working in foreign countries;
- (f) if so, the details thereof; and
- (g)
- if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]

- (a) & (b) The Government regulates the emigration of Emigration Check Required (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  abroad.  This  data  includes  details  of  domestic maids and house nurses who would have gone abroad after taking emigration clearance.
- (c) & (d) The  Emigration  Act,  1983,  regulates  the  terms  and  conditions  of  overseas employment  and  seeks  to  protect  and  safeguard  the  interests  of  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/Agreements on labour with major labour receiving countries,  namely,  UAE,  Qatar,  Oman,  Bahrain,  Saudi  Arabia,  Jordan  and  Malaysia,  to  lay down the framework for bilateral cooperation for the protection and welfare of workers.

- (e) to (g) The erstwhile 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

| Sl. No.   | Name of Countries    | Emigration Clearances given   | Emigration Clearances given   | Emigration Clearances given   |
|-----------|----------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|           |                      | 01.04.2013 - 31.03. 2014      | 01.04.2014 - 31.03. 2015      | 01.04.2015 - 31.03. 2016      |
| 1         | Afghanistan          | 200                           | 76                            | 64                            |
| 2         | Bahrain              | 15073                         | 16314                         | 13644                         |
| 3         | Indonesia            | 34                            | 19                            | 4                             |
| 4         | Iraq                 | 7379                          | 1171                          | -                             |
| 5         | Jordan               | 1638                          | 2113                          | 2090                          |
| 6         | Kuwait               | 76474                         | 78396                         | 67414                         |
| 7         | Labanon              | 249                           | 393                           | 304                           |
| 8         | Libya                | 415                           | 0                             | -                             |
| 9         | Malaysia             | 22014                         | 25548                         | 17906                         |
| 10        | Oman                 | 57337                         | 57458                         | 86165                         |
| 11        | Qatar                | 79631                         | 74839                         | 49638                         |
| 12        | Sudan                | 217                           | 194                           | 8                             |
| 13        | Syria                | 5                             | 0                             | -                             |
| 14        | Saudi Arabia         | 339857                        | 340001                        | 265170                        |
| 15        | Thailand             | 27                            | 50                            | 2                             |
| 16        | United Arab Emirates | 220392                        | 229504                        | 201192                        |
| 17        | Yemen                | 5                             | 3                             | -                             |
|           | Total                | 820947                        | 826079                        | 703601                        |

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