With complaints of women being deserted by their NRI husbands on the rise, the Central government has launched a scheme to provide them with financial assistance and legal aid overseas.

Under the scheme, counselling and legal services will be provided through credible Indian women's organisations or Indian community associations and NGOs that will be empanelled with the country's missions, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi told Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

The scheme has been launched in the US, the UK, Canada [Images], Australia, New Zealand [Images] and the Gulf, and is aimed at helping women who have been deserted by their overseas Indian spouses or are facing divorce proceedings.

"The scheme is a welfare measure to support women of Indian origin in distress, through the mobilisation of the local Indian community in the endeavour and with some financial assistance from the government," Ravi said.

The women will also be provided with financial assistance to meet the initial cost and incidental charges for documentation and filing of the case by the Indian women's organisation or NGO on the women's behalf.

The number of complaints received by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has been on the rise in the last three years. While 19 complaints were received in 2005, the number went up to 65 in 2006. So far, this year 89 complaints have been received.