India to tighten rules for recruitment

DUBAI: Holding the “nexus” between agents responsible for the “exploitation” of Indian workers in Gulf countries, New Delhi on Friday said it will tighten rules for their recruitment.

India, which has over 400,000 workers in the Gulf countries, is keen on their protection from exploitation both from dishonest agents as well as other problems, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said.

“We have to tighten rules for recruitment of workers in India,” Ravi, on a visit to three Gulf countries to study the condition of the Indian workers, said adding many fraudulent agents in India exploit workers.

On the nexus of dishonest agents, the minister said he is aware of how the unskilled and semi-skilled Indian labourers are being duped by dishonest agents.

“My priority is to break this racket. This can be achieved if governments of various countries work in close cooperation,” said Ravi adding he was in contact with various state governments to check the problem. The government will take every measure to stop the exploitation. 

The Gulf region is important for the overseas Indians ministry since it has one of the largest concentration of Indian workers, Ravi said.  As part of his Gulf tour, the minister has already visited Bahrain and is now in the UAE and from here go to Saudi Arabia.

The minister visited the Indian consulate in Dubai and went around the premises and talked to many Indians who had come to avail of the services. The minister said in his impression people were happy with the services offered.

Later he told an Indian community meeting that the consulate was run in an efficient manner and praised the work of the Indian consul-general, Yash Sinha.