Parliament Question: Improvement in consular services for Indians

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 715 ANSWERED ON 05/02/2026 IMPROVEMENT IN CONSULAR SERVICES FOR INDIANS #715. DR. BHIM SINGH Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :- (a) the steps taken during the last two years to simplify, expedite and improve access to consular services for Indian citizens residing abroad, particularly those of Bihar origin (NRBs), especially in the Gulf countries where a large number of workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand are employed; (b) whether the Ministry has undertaken any specific bilateral initiatives, training programmes or agreements to enhance employment, skill-based opportunities and educational support for young people abroad; and (c) if so, the current status thereof and the number of beneficiaries and the future plan of action? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) The safety, security and well being of Indian nationals living in foreign countries is one of the foremost priorities for the Government of India. Indian Missions/Posts abroad render all possible consular assistance to the Indian nationals, whenever required. Indian nationals can contact the Indian Missions/Posts abroad via walk-ins, email, social media platforms, 24x7 emergency telephone numbers and Toll Free Helplines established by Missions/Posts abroad, grievance redressal portals like MADAD, CPGRAMS etc for prompt redressal of their grievances. Indian nationals who are in distress in foreign countries are provided assistance under Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) set up in all Indian Missions/Posts abroad to meet any contingency expenditure incurred by them, on a means-tested basis. Advisories are issued for Indian nationals from time to time, asking them to exercise due caution and remain vigilant. The Government remains vigilant to developments impacting the lives of Indian nationals abroad and takes all measures to safeguard their interests and welfare. (b) & (c) The Government has established a robust institutional framework to promote safe and legal migration while ensuring welfare and safety and preventing exploitation of Indians abroad, including Indian workers. MoUs/Agreements such as Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreements (MMPAs), Labour Mobility and Labour Welfare Agreements have been signed with the partner countries for establishing robust frameworks for migrant workers welfare and protection and legal migration and for preventing irregular migration. The Labour and Manpower Cooperation MOUs/Agreements that provide the overarching framework for cooperation on labour and manpower related issues have been signed with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) and Jordan. Further, to safeguard the specific interests of domestic workers in GCC Countries, agreements on Labour Cooperation for Domestic Sector Workers (DSWs) have been signed with Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait. Specific Labour Mobility Partnership Agreements/MOUs/MOCs have been signed with Denmark, Japan, Portugal, Mauritius, Israel, Taiwan, Malaysia and Russia. Migration and Mobility Partnership agreements to facilitate mobility of our students, academics, business 1people, and professionals, have been signed with France, UK, Germany, Australia, Austria, Italy and Denmark. Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) programme is aimed at enhancing soft skills of Indian migrant workers, in terms of culture, language, tradition and local rules and regulations of the destination country. One-day long PDOT training also sensitizes migrant workers about pathways to safe and legal migration and various government programmes for their welfare and protection. PDOT curriculum content has been standardized all over the country. Comprehensive PDOT Manuals for Master Trainers have been developed in seven languages i.e. Hindi, English, Bangla, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. The Ministry launched online PDOT in April 2021 to reach out to prospective emigrants who live far away from PDOT centres. 47 PDOT centres are currently run through NSDC (16) and state Governments (31)). Since the inception, 2,30,342 trainees have been imparted training under PDOT till now. ***** 2