Parliament Question: Workers from Kushinagar in Gulf countries

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 722 ANSWERED ON 05/02/2026 WORKERS FROM KUSHINAGAR IN GULF COUNTRIES 722. SHRI RATANJIT PRATAP NARAIN SINGH Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :- (a) the estimated number of workers from Kushinagar employed in Gulf countries; (b) the details of grievances received from the district on the MADAD portal regarding labour disputes; (c) the status of assistance provided to the families of deceased workers for transportation of mortal remains and compensation claims; (d) the measures taken to regulate illegal recruitment agents operating in the region; and (e) Government's initiative to conduct pre-departure orientation programmes for aspiring migrants? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) The number of Indian workers holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) category passports from Kushinagar district, who have been issued Emigration Clearance (EC) for working in the Gulf countries is as under: Number of Indian Workers from Kushinagar district of UP who have obtained Emigration Clearance (EC) for Gulf countries (from 01.01.2014 to 26.01.2026) Name of the Country No. of ECs Issued BAHRAIN 2632 IRAQ 643 Kuwait 7079 Oman 12923 Qatar 10434 Saudi Arabia 27284 UAE 40596 1(b) There is no mechanism available on MADAD Portal to access the state-wise/district-wise data related to grievances. However, the volume of grievances received on ‘MADAD Portal’ regarding labour disputes during the last three years (2023-2025) in respect of ‘Indian citizens in abroad’ is as follows: Year No. of grievances received 2023 1048 2024 1140 2025 1085 Total 3273 (c) As soon as the information about the death of an Indian national comes to the knowledge of the concerned Indian Mission/Post abroad, they take proactive action by seeking a report from the local Foreign Office and other concerned local authorities regarding the cause of the death of the Indian national. Our Missions and Posts abroad inform the next of kin of the deceased Indian national, and facilitate the transportation of mortal remains to India or the local burial of mortal remains in accordance with the wishes of the family of the deceased. For transportation of mortal remains, Indian Missions and Posts usually liaise with different authorities in the foreign country, viz., on the following aspects: i. Medical report / death certificate issued from the hospital concerned; ii. Police report (with English translation, if the report is in any other language), in case of accidental or unnatural death; iii. Consent letter from the next of kin of the deceased for local cremation / burial / transportation of mortal remains; iv. Issuing of No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Mission / Post for transportation or local cremation / burial as required; v. Clearance and arrangements for embalming of mortal remains from the authorities concerned in the foreign country; vi. Clearance from local immigration/ customs department. Indian Missions/Posts abroad give full cooperation and assist the family members of deceased in filing cases of death compensation and to fulfill required documentation formalities in death compensation cases. These include documents such as Legal Heirship Certificate (LHC) and Power of Attorney (POA) which are required for pursuing the case of death compensation in courts in foreign countries on behalf of the legal heirs of the deceased, in cases accidental deaths or traffic accident or murder, after receiving police report. Missions/Posts abroad also provide assistance in preparation of such documents. Indian Missions/ Posts abroad provide all necessary assistance to facilitate early settlement of death compensation and insurance claims from local authorities/companies. Missions/Posts abroad have standard operating procedures for the disbursement of compensation of deceased Indian 2nationals. They follow up the death compensation cases of the deceased Indian nationals with the employer/ concerned court till the family of the deceased get their compensation. Missions/Posts abroad also liaises with the concerned foreign authorities to ensure early release of the death compensation in case the employer is not cooperating. (d) Government accords utmost priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indian nationals proceeding for employment abroad. As per The Emigration Act 1983, no person/agency can function as Recruiting Agent (RA) without a valid license issued by the Registering Authority. Mandatory registration of RA is aimed to reduce fraud and exploitation of prospective Indian emigrants proceeding for employment abroad. It is also mandatory for ECR passport holders proceeding for employment to any of the 19 notified Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries to obtain Emigration Clearance (EC) from the office of the Protector of Emigrants (POE). As and when complaints against the illegal agents/dubious firms luring Indian youth in fake recruitment offers through various channels are received, such matters are referred to the State police for investigation and prosecution under the relevant legal provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and other legislation in place including the ones enacted by the some State Governments. Ministry also issues advisories through eMigrate portal, social media handles and other modes of publicity about the perils of fake job rackets and ways to prevent the same. Till October 2025, a total of 3,505 unregistered agents in country have been notified on the eMigrate portal. The awareness campaign on safe and legal migration through eMigrate portal is carried out by the Ministry across the country from time to time by conducting workshops, trainings, information sessions, digital campaigns for media groups, police officials and law enforcement agencies, local administration, aspiring recruiting agents, entrepreneurs and general public. During these sessions awareness on emigration regulations, schemes beneficial for emigrants like Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY), Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT), eMigrate portal and various advisories issued by Indian Embassies are brought to the notice of all stakeholders including job seekers, and advise them to verify all antecedents of Recruiting Agents before accepting any kind of employment offer and not be enticed and entrapped in the fraudulent job offers.. (e) 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 Government (31). Since the inception, 2,30,342 trainees have been imparted training under PDOT till now. ***** 3