The External Affairs Ministry has said that India accords the highest priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indian workers abroad. On receipt of any complaint or grievance from Indian nationals, including labourers, the Indian Embassy proactively takes it up with the concerned foreign employer and also reaches out to the workplace of the aggrieved worker. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. He informed us that Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra has been set up in key locations such as New Delhi, Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, and Kuala Lumpur to provide guidance and counselling to the Indian workers. The minister said Indian missions abroad regularly organise open houses and consular camps in remote areas to get feedback from Indian workers residing in such areas and to address their grievances.

Mr Singh informed the house that more than 16 thousand complaints have been received from Indian nationals abroad this year. He informed us that the highest number, over three thousand, of complaints were received from Saudi Arabia, followed by over one thousand five hundred from the United Arab Emirates, 662 from Malaysia and 620 from the USA.