Indian Govt. Says Will Take Steps to Punish Fake Recruiting Agencies

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the Indian government has taken serious steps to punish fake recruiting agencies that cheat people with fake job offers and send them abroad by taking money.

Swaraj, who was in Kuwait this week on a two-day visit, said she has instructed chief ministers of all states to be vigilant, particularly with fake agencies sending workers to the Gulf countries.

‘The first priority for my ministry is to address the issues of Indian workers abroad than forming the foreign policies,’ news portal Menafn.com quoted Swaraj as telling.

“Relief is just one tweet away for the 3.9-million blue-collared workers here. You can express your grievances in 140 characters and we are there 24/7 for you. There is a category for SOS tweets, which I see after I finish my work. I immediately inform the ambassadors about your issues and I am happy that our ambassadors are so sensitized, that the respondents later tell me that your ambassador contacted us. We are working round-the-clock to address all of your issues,” she said.

There have been numerous instances of fake recruiting agencies fleecing workers by offering them jobs in Gulf countries. Once these workers land in the Gulf, they realize they either have no jobs or have been hired to do something else than what was actually promised.

Swaraj was in Kuwait between Oct.30-31 at the invitation of Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H.E. Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. This was her first visit to Kuwait and the first high-level bilateral visit since the visit of Kuwaiti Prime Minister to India in Nov. 2013, the Indian embassy said in a statement.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait recalled the historical and friendly relations between the two countries and appreciated the role and contribution of the Indian expatriate community in Kuwait’s progress and economic development.

The Kuwaiti side also assured the Sushma regarding the expeditious resolution of cases pertaining to 80 nurses and Indian Engineers.

Around two and a half years ago 80 Indian nurses were recruited to work for Kuwait’s Ministry of Health (MoH) and are yet to be appointed. Although these nurses have been given accommodation by the authorities, they have neither been ’employed’ nor paid their salaries as per the terms of the agreement, the news portal said adding that several times in the past, the Indian Embassy had taken the issue with the Kuwaiti authorities but to no avail.

The visit witnessed the conclusion of two important agreements including the Agreement on the exemption of visa for holders of Diplomatic, Official and Special Passports and the Agreement on the recruitment of Domestic Workers, according to an official release.