The Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) has come to the rescue of 33,000 Gulf migrant workers in three years

■   Kuwait: Over 6,000 beneficiaries, with significant support for boarding, lodging, and repatriation.

■   Saudi Arabia: Assisted more than 1,000 Indian nationals, including emergency medical care and repatriation of mortal remains.

■   Qatar: Provided aid to over 10,000 individuals, including legal support and travel assistance.

■   Oman: More than 13,000 workers received assistance covering boarding and lodging expenses, providing air passage and in paying of small fines and penalties

■   United Arab Emirates (UAE): Supported nearly 3,000 Indian workers, offering boarding, legal aid, and financial assistance.

■   Bahrain, Iraq, and Jordan: Assisted hundreds of workers with legal aid, repatriation, and medical assistance.

metro india news  I hyderabad

Whenever an Indian migrant worker is in the line of fire especially in the GCC states such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) comes to their rescue. Sample this: In the last three years, between 2022 and 2024, over 33,000 Indian workers across the Gulf countries have received financial, legal, and medical aid from ICWF.

The fund has provided crucial assistance, including emergency boarding and lodging, repatriation, legal aid, and transportation of mortal remains, ensuring that Indian nationals in distress receive timely support.

Highlighting these initiatives, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh emphasized the government's dedication to ensuring safe migration and protecting workers from exploitation. "The Government of India remains steadfast in its efforts to support Indian workers abroad, particularly in Gulf nations, where they play a vital role in our economy. Through robust mechanisms like ICWF, labor agreements, and digitized recruitment processes, we continue to safeguard their rights and well-being," the minister stated in response to an unstarred query in Lok Sabha from Telangana MPs Eatala Rajender, DK Aruna, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy and Suresh Shetkar on Friday.

He pointed out that Indian missions in Gulf countries provide extensive support through multiple channels, including walk-in services, emergency helplines, WhatsApp numbers, and online grievance redressal portals like MADAD portal and CPGRAMS (Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System.

Special provisions exist for Indian women in distress, offering shelter homes, medical aid, and repatriation assistance. Additionally, Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendras (PBSKs) have been established in key locations such as Dubai, Riyadh, and Kuala Lumpur to assist Indian workers facing difficulties abroad, the minister said.

To ensure safe and legal migration, the government has regulated overseas employment under the Emigration Act, 1983. Only registered Recruiting Agents can facilitate recruitment, and ECR passport holders must obtain Emigration Clearance before departing for employment in Gulf countries. The eMigrate portal has been revamped to streamline and digitalize recruitment processes, improving transparency and efficiency while protecting job seekers from fraudulent agents, Kirti Vardhan said in his written response.

Further strengthening protections for women, the government has restricted the recruitment of ECR-category female workers to state-run agencies and imposed a minimum age limit of 30 years to prevent exploitation. Labour agreements with Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait, facilitate bilateral cooperation on worker welfare and safety.