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QUESTION NO-2134 COMPLAINTS FROM INDIAN MIGRANTS WORKERS IN THE FOREIGN COUNTRIES

August 04, 2022

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-2134
ANSWERED ON-04/08/2022

COMPLAINTS FROM INDIAN MIGRANTS WORKERS IN THE FOREIGN COUNTRIES

†2134. SHRI NARESH BANSAL

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether Government has carried out any investigation on the poor living conditions of Indian migrant workers in the foreign countries, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(b) whether Government plans to undertake measures to improve the living standards of these workers, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(c) the number of complaints received from the Indian Workers’ working outside the country till March, 2022; and

(d) the number of complaints resolved till March, 2022?

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN)

(a) to (d): The Government has robust mechanism to monitor working conditions and grievance redressal of Indian workers working abroad. All ECR category workers including nurses, going abroad have to register in e-Migrate platform for scrutiny of documents/contracts for clearance as defined in the Emigration Act 1983. Besides, Indian Missions and Posts regularly organize Open Houses to get the feedback and address the grievances of Indian workers. On receipt of complaints from or on behalf of the emigrants, the same are taken up pro-actively by Indian Missions/Posts with the concerned Foreign Employer (FE) and including by visiting the work place, wherever required. Complaints pertaining to employment related issues are also taken up by the Indian Missions with the local Labour Department and other relevant authority in that country for prompt redressal.

There are also dedicated Labour wing in all Indian Missions in Gulf countries. Any worker facing difficulty can approach them through MADAD portal, e-Migrate portal, and 24x7 multilingual helpline of Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK).

The issues pertaining to Indian migrant workers in ECNR category countries are also taken up on priority by Indian Missions/Posts abroad. As a first step, our Missions contact the foreign employer to explore amicable resolution of the issues. If required, these are also taken up appropriately with the local government and law enforcement authorities including the Courts.

The Missions also utilize the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) from time to time to provide economic and legal assistance to overseas Indian nationals in times of distress.

In order to safeguard interests of Indian workers, Labour and Manpower Cooperation MoUs/Agreements are in place with the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries where a large number of Indian workers reside and work. These Agreements/MoUs provide the institutional framework to comprehensively discuss and review labour related issues through Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings.

As per Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) data, during the period of 2020 to March 2022, total 3784 complaints were registered at Indian Missions/Posts.

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