COCHIN, 19 November 2004 — India is considering liberalization of emigration rules to ease the difficulties of migrating workers, Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed has said.
The Foreign Ministry is formulating the new policy in consultation with the Labor Ministry, including placing people who passed grade 10 also under the Emigration Clearance Not Required (ECNR) category.
Those who have passed grade 12, diploma holders of national vocational training institutes such as polytechnics and technical institutes and those below 18 years and above 50 years of age, were brought under this category recently.
It is also being examined whether applicants with employment visas and having insurance cover under Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojna could also be exempted.
Ahamed said Indian jobseekers were suffering a lot in overseas manpower markets due to the unscrupulous activities of recruiting agents who dump them there without proper documents and job guarantee.
“A handful of agents are bringing disrepute to India and creating problems for both jobseekers and the authorities,” he told reporters here on Wednesday.
He said Oman had protested strongly over the illegal flow of Indians to that country. Muscat has sent back some 900 Indians for attempted misuse of the visa-on-arrival system meant for tourists.
The recruiting agents duped the workers after collecting 100,000 rupees from each for the “visa” claiming that would ensure them a job. Around 1,000 Indians were trapped in Oman on “expiry of their visas”.
For each day of overstay, they need to pay a fine that could be a huge burden if their stay prolongs.
