(a) the number of Indians working abroad as on date, country-wise;
(b) whether there is any mechanism for monitoring their working conditions ; and
(c) if so, the details thereof?
(a) the number of Indians working abroad as on date, country-wise;
(b) whether there is any mechanism for monitoring their working conditions ; and
(c) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]
(a) Information in respect of the number of Indians working abroad is not available. Many countries do not share data on expatriates or foreigners working in their country citing privacy laws, etc. Registration of our nationals abroad in Indian Missions/Posts is voluntary. However, the data of Indian nationals holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) category passports and emigrating for employment purpose to any of the 18 ECR countries is captured in the e-Migrate system that provides the Government a comprehensive and online database of Emigrant workers, Missions, Recruiting Agents, Foreign Employers, and Insurance Agencies. The number of ECR passport holding Indian workers, who proceeded after obtaining Emigration Clearance (EC) for overseas employment in ECR countries, during the last three years is annexed.
(b) & (c) The Government attaches foremost priority to ensuring the well being and welfare of Indians working abroad. Major mechanisms that have been put in place in this regard include the following:
(i) The on-line MADAD and e-Migrate portals enable the emigrant workers and their family members to register their grievances on-line and track their redressal.
(ii) A multi-lingual 24X7 Helpline of Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) in New Delhi and other PBSKs in Dubai (UAE), Sharjah (UAE), Riyadh, Jeddah (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), provides information, guidance and grievance redressal on all issues and problems pertaining to overseas employment of Indian nationals. The PBSKs further send these grievances to e-Migrate and MADAD portals which is accessible to all Protector of Emigrants (PoEs) and Indian Missions.
(iii) Grievances brought to the notice of the Ministry through social media, including twitter, are also promptly addressed.
(iv) 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, including the working conditions of Indian workers in these countries.
(v) Missions in ECR countries conduct Open Houses on a regular basis where workers can speak on their working conditions and seek redressal of their grievances.