The idea is "not easy to implement since there are many stakeholders, though the government has been able to fix a minimum wage structure for maids," Vayalar Ravi, the minister of overseas Indian affairs, told PTI. There are nearly five million Indian working in the Gulf countries, but rising inflation in the region has made the condition of the blue-collar workers difficult since they are unable to save money locally or remit them back to India.
Ravi, who inaugurated the 15th national biennial convention of the National Federation of Indian Americans in Seattle, Washington, told rediff.com that the Government of India and his Ministry are committed to the safety and protection of Indian students in the US and anywhere in the world, and that during his visit he would meet with the relevant authorities in the US to make sure that the welfare of the Indian students is ensured.
The scheme has been launched in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Gulf, and is aimed at helping women who have been deserted by their overseas Indian spouses or are facing divorce proceedings.
There will be no requirement of emigration clearance from October 1 for Indians travelling abroad, with the government on Thursday admitting that the 'retrograde' scheme was a cause of 'harassment' and 'corruption'.
Ravi, who attended the Ministerial Consultations on Overseas Employment and Contractual Labour for Countries of Origin in Asia in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, said the (wage) figure should be 'realistic' and needs to reflect the conditions in each of the countries where the workers are employed.
For the 25 million Indians living abroad, getting information about their country especially the growing investment opportunities in various sectors would now be just a click away.
Over 81,000 Indians were deported from the Gulf this year on various grounds, including non-possession of visas, resident permits and violation of local laws, the government said on Thursday.
Vayalar Ravi, the Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, announced that the 8th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held at Vigyan Bhavan from January 7 to 9 would focus on empowerment of rural women.
India and Kuwait have signed a landmark labour agreement, incorporating steps for job protection, checking exploitation of Indian workers and ensuring payment of salaries and other benefits promised at the time of recruitment.
An amendment to the Indian Immigration Act governing the conduct of manpower agents is now waiting for the mandatory clearance from the union cabinet, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said in Dubai on Tuesday. Of the 56 complaints received so far this year, 13 licences were cancelled while 27 were suspended. Twenty-eight licences of recruiting agents were cancelled in 2006 and 65 were suspended.
The government has taken "serious note" of complaints against an Indian company, involved in alleged mistreatment of 77 Indian labourers in Sri Lanka, and directed its mission in Colombo to make immediate arrangements for their return.
Kerala will have to wait. The next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in Chandigarh," and not in Thiruvananthapuram, said Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi.
The scheme would cover women deserted in India or overseas within one year of the marriage and divorce proceedings initiated by the spouse within one year of the marriage.
The first ever live webcast of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2008 will be put up on www.PIOTV.com
Expressing his opposition to a legislation for allowing non-Hindus to worship in temples in the state, Ravi said his case was entirely different as he is a Hindu and his son was also brought up as a Hindu.
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced a whopping 8.7 lakh expatriates from Kerala to return home, most of them from the Gulf, since last May, with a majority of 5.67 lakh citing job loss as the reason for it, according to official data.
In the wake of the recent instance of Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Babubhai Katara attempting to smuggle a woman out of the country posing as his wife, the government is planning to make laws more stringent
Human trafficking has been a concern and it got serious after recent detection of alleged involvement of MPs in the illegal activity.
Efforts are underway to ensure that Indian Medical Graduates are also allowed to appear unconditionally for the second round of recruitment that is likely to take place in April, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said.
A hassle-free electronic remittances gateway, enabling non-resident Indians to send money back home, will be launched during the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas opening in Hyderabad on January 7.
Taking serious view of a 29-year old Kerala woman landing in a prostitution racket in Oman after being lured with a housemaid job, India has asked its mission in Muscat to take up the case with the Omanese Government and seek action against her sponsors. Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi on Monday said that stringent action would also be taken if any agent was involved in the racket.
India has restricted all women under 30 years of age who have not completed high school from being permitted to work abroad.
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs proposes to introduce the scheme to start with in US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain -- the places from where such cases are mostly reported.
The proposals were discussed at a recent meeting between Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and Minister of State for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury, an official said.
Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said in New York on Friday that New Delhi is trying to negotiate for an agreement with the Bush Administration under which temporary Indian workers in the US would not have to pay social security taxes.
India will soon make a comprehensive amendment to emigration laws to protect its labour force abroad, especially in the Gulf region, from being exploited by unscrupulous recruiting agents.
India plans to create a special centre to attract investments from overseas Indians as also to facilitate creation of a global Indian consortium to work with apex trade bodies, states of India and various associations of overseas Indians.
It will now be called the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.
The returnees included all Indians like overseas Indians, students, tourists, and businessmen.
Mauritius FDI source for India during Apr-Dec.
Out of those who arrived from Lebanon at 2.15 AM, 269 were from Tamil Nadu, 139 from Punjab, nine from Kerala, three from Goa and one each from Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
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