PM Modi's visit to labour camp in Kuwait underscores government's resolve for welfare of Indian workers abroad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday interacted with a cross-section of Indian workers during his visit to a labour camp in Mina Abdullah area of Kuwait, his first official programme after arriving in the West Asian nation on a historic visit, earlier in the day.

The labour camp has a workforce of around 1500 Indian nationals hailing from different states of India.

During the interaction, Prime Minister Modi enquired about the well-being of Indian workers and discussed various welfare schemes initiated by the Indian government over the past 10 years.

"The visit to the labour camp is symbolic of the importance attached by the Prime Minister to the welfare of Indian workers abroad. In the last few years, the government has undertaken several technology-based initiatives such as E-Migrate portal, MADAD portal and upgraded Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana for the welfare of Indian workers abroad," said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) after the visit.

The government led by PM Modi remains at the forefront in providing unwavering support to its nationals at times of their need and PM's visit to the camp on Saturday assumes significance, especially after the fire tragedy at a labour housing facility in the Mangaf area of Kuwait City in June this year which resulted in deaths of dozens of Indian workers.

Within hours of assuming charge, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirtivardhan Singh was sent to Kuwait on the direction of Prime Minister Modi who was himself keeping track of rescue efforts on June 12 despite major political developments at home, including swearing-in ceremonies of governments in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

The Indian Embassy in Kuwait has been working in a mission mode since the tragic incident, constantly checking safety measures at the labour camps and places where Indian workers are staying.

This is, however, not the first instance of the PM meeting interacting with Indian workers abroad.

In 2016, PM Modi visited L&T workers' residential complex and the All Women IT and ITES Centre of Tata Consultancy Services in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh.

In the same year, PM Modi also visited the Indian workers' camp in Doha, Qatar.

Earlier in 2015, PM Modi visited a labour camp in Abu Dhabi where he highlighted India's concern for the welfare of its migrant workers. He interacted with Indian workers at their camps to know the problems they face and discussed ways the Indian government can help them.

At the same time, the government led by PM Modi has also been continuously working towards ensuring safe and legal migration.

Launched in 2014, the e-Migrate project facilitates emigration of Indians for employment purposes and mitigates the scope of malpractices. It also helps to conduct recruitment processes in a hassle-free and transparent manner besides providing a comprehensive online database of Indian emigrants to all stakeholders, making the whole emigration cycle fast, transparent and efficient.

The e-Migrate system has been integrated with other services like Passport Seva Project for online validation of passport details and also with insurance agencies providing Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojna. DG Shipping system has also been integrated with the eMigrate system through which data about seafarers submitted to DG Shipping is sent through eMigrate to the Bureau of Immigration for processing emigration at Immigration Check Posts and airports, thus streamlining the emigration process.

The Overseas Employment and Protector General of Emigrants Division has also been strengthened, thus streamlining the process of emigration for individuals having ECR (Emigration Clearance Required category) passports going abroad for employment. As many as 16 offices of Protector General of Emigrants have been opened across India to facilitate the same.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra, which helps disseminate information about emigration and receive and redress complaints and grievances of migrant workers, has also been strengthened by the government while five regional centres have also been set up at Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai, Patna and Kochi assisting emigrants requiring face-to-face interaction for redressal of their grievances and queries.

PM Modi has simultaneously been working towards improving the condition of Indian workers abroad.

In his visit to UAE earlier this year, PM Modi had announced that UAE has given a piece of land in Dubai for the construction of a hospital for Indian workers.

Quite significantly, India and Kuwait signed an agreement in 2021 which marked a pivotal step in ensuring the welfare and rights of Indian domestic workers in Kuwait. The agreement established a fair and balanced relationship between workers and employers, focusing on the protection of workers' rights and compliance with local laws.