THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 7 March 2007 — India will soon sign agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other Gulf countries to protect the interests of Indian workers like the one signed with the United Arab Emirates. Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said the agreement would cover the salary, perks and working conditions of the expatriate workers. Stipulation is also being made that all payments are made through banks.
Negotiations with Kuwait have been completed while discussions are progressing with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Ravi said in an interview with a national newspaper.
He said housemaids would be covered by labor laws with an age bar of 30 years for those seeking employment in the UAE.
The Emigration Act of 1983 is to be amended to make it simple and transparent. The regulations would mainly cover recruitments through recruitment agents, clearly laying out the rates and fixing responsibility on them.
“The idea is to encourage agencies to send more people abroad rather than restrict emigration,” he told The Hindu.
He said his ministry had issued 106,000 Overseas Citizen of India cards in 2006 and established the Overseas Employment Promotion Council that would promote employment abroad in collaboration with state governments.
