The Indian Embassy has reiterated that “there will be no scope for middlemen following the formalization of the labor agreement between Saudi Arabia and India.”

The Indian Embassy will be setting up welfare and labor committees comprising officials and registered volunteers to assist the Indian community.

Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao addressed volunteers during an interactive session to discuss the current status of Indian expats following end of the grace period and the labor agreement being signed with the Kingdom.

“I am happy to announce the decision to set up two committees to further coordinate our efforts in this regard,” said Rao.

The ambassador reiterated that the labor agreement would ensure the eradication of middlemen in India who lure people coming to the Kingdom based on false promises, who then find themselves unemployed and illegal.

“There should be no confusion that this is a labor cooperation pact for domestic workers, the majority of whom are drivers, cooks and other domestic housemaids,” said Rao. “Housemaids, however, only account for a minor percentage of Indian workers. This agreement is designed to protect all domestic workers.”

He said: “There were thousands of fellow expats who dreamt of returning to India without facing penal action or who wished to legalize their status to be able to stay in the Kingdom. We had pledged that we would work together to help the community to fully utilize the grace period.”

Rao said: “I am proud to say that everyone who approached us managed to get some help. More than 1.4 million Indians legalized their status.”

The Indian envoy attributed the success rate to the embassy’s assistance, in addition to the help of volunteers, teachers and non-teaching staff from 10 Indian community schools, parents, students, members of the media and Saudi authorities.

“We have a lot of work to do back home to streamline the recruitment process. We must ensure that no one lands here and becomes illegal upon arrival,” added Rao.