Welfare fund for Indians in Gulf planned

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 10.The Government is planning to set up a welfare fund for Indian workers in the Gulf which could be utilised during distress.

This was announced here by the Union Labour Minister, Mr. Sharad Yadav, while inaugurating a two-day conference of Welfare Officers of Indian Missions/Posts in the Gulf countries.

Over 3.5 million Indians work in the six Gulf countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman and they collectively contribute substantially to the foreign exchange reserves through their remittances crossing over $4 billions annually.

The Minister said the idea for a welfare fund was mooted to ensure that the Indians abroad did not face problems or get a raw deal. In fact, Mr. Yadav called upon the Ambassadors and Welfare Officers of Indian Missions in the Gulf to personally attend to such problems.

A Central Manpower Export Council has also been proposed by the Labour Ministry. It would project manpower services that India can offer in major labour markets abroad. It would also collect statistics and information on employment opportunities abroad and advise the Government on manpower export.

Presiding over the inaugural session, the Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. Omar Abdullah, suggested that besides a labour welfare fund, there should also be an insurance scheme for them ``to make relief automatic, quick and easy to get.''

The fund will be set up by collecting a fee from each worker taking up overseas employment. The money would largely be utilised for repatriating workers stranded in foreign countries or for providing financial assistance to the kin of the workers who die during foreign employment.

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