RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3436
TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2021.
COMPLAINTS OF INDIAN MIGRANT WORKERS
3436. SHRI BHASKAR RAO NEKKANTI:
Will the Minister of External Affairs be pleased to state:
(a) the number of reported deaths of Indian migrant workers in Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE since 2016 and the details of these deaths especially from Odisha;
(b) the number of complaints received from Indian migrant workers in these countries regarding poor working conditions and mistreatment;
(c) the initiatives and actions taken along with the status of these complaints; and
(d) any measure being considered or have been implemented to ensure decent working conditions for Indian migrant workers in these countries and if so the details thereof and Government’s reaction thereon?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN)
(a) & (b) Information on reported deaths of migrant workers and complaints received in Gulf countries as available with the Ministry is given at Annexure
.
(c) On receipt of such complaints, the Mission/Post takes appropriate measures available within its purview to provide relief to the aggrieved worker. These include, contacting the local sponsors, local authorities and Recruiting Agencies in India for resolution of the problem. Follow up action of each case varies, depending upon the nature of grievance, and often includes provision of shelter and accommodation, medical assistance, legal consultation, etc. on need basis, and safe return to India, when necessary.
(d) The Government attaches the highest priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indians in foreign countries. The Government has taken several steps to strengthen grievance redressal mechanism and other measures to ensure speedy resolution of labour disputes in various countries of the world, including in the Gulf countries. These include:
(i) The on-line MADAD portal enables the emigrant workers and their family members to register their consular grievances on-line and track their redressal.
(ii) Grievances related to Overseas Employment in notified Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries can also be lodged directly by emigrants/ relatives or through the Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) on e-Migrate portal. These grievances are settled by respective jurisdictional Protectors of Emigrants (PoEs) as per laid down procedures.
(iii) Indian Missions / Consulates conduct Open Houses on a regular basis where workers can approach the officers, highlight their grievances and seek redressal. 24x7 Helplines and Toll Free Helplines have been established for the benefit of Indian workers seeking help.
(iv) A multi-lingual 24X7 Helpline of Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) in New Delhi provides information, guidance and grievance redressal on all issues and problems pertaining to overseas employment of Indian nationals.
(v) Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendras (PBSK) have been set up at Dubai (UAE), Riyadh, Jeddah (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to provide guidance and counseling on all matters pertaining to overseas Indian workers.
(vi) Kshetriya Pravasi Sahayata Kendras (KPSK) have been setup in Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow and Delhi to assist emigrants or their relatives for redressal of their problems and complaints regarding overseas employment.
(vii) Grievances brought to the notice of the Ministry and the Missions through social media, including twitter, are promptly addressed.
(viii) The Missions utilize the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) to provide assistance to Indian nationals in times of distress. The guidelines of ICWF have been revised to expand the scope of welfare measures and to cover three key areas, namely, assisting overseas Indian nationals in distress situations, community welfare activities and improvement in consular services.
(ix) Labour and Manpower Cooperation MoUs / Agreements are in place with the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that provide the institutional framework to comprehensively discuss and review labour related issues. In accordance with the Labour and Manpower Cooperation/ Agreement, Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings are held on regular basis to discuss various labour related issues.
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