State IT, Industry and NRI Affairs Minister K.T. Rama Rao has appealed to the Union government to enter into repatriation agreements with the Gulf countries to send back blue collar workers in distress and also against the practice of confiscation of passports of workers by the employers.
Speaking at the First Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) -State Outreach Programme, Mr. Rao said the State was committed for the welfare of blue collar workers in the Gulf and Middle East. But most of them, being ignorant of the laws in those countries, often are sentenced to jail or had to face trial. Yet help was not reaching them in time. The Telangana government would provide translators on deputation to embassies to help the workers overcome the language barrier and also help in extending insurance. He also said that bringing back mortal remains of workers from Gulf countries was becoming a challenge and the Centre could take it up with Saudi Arabia to consider such cases on humanitarian grounds. He requested MEA to set up second consulate of Saudi Arabia in Hyderabad. He said the State was taking stern action against fake agents and so far 740 cases were filed, including 112 in Sircilla alone.
Mr. Rao, who recently attended the meeting convened by MEA on NRI issues, said that NRIs would like to go beyond charity and contribute significantly to their mother land. Citing an instance, he said 20 NRI IT professionals hailing from Khammam in Telangana came forward to invest under Rural Technology Policy to generate employment and economic growth. TS as a pilot State would work with MEA to attract such investments for ‘Make in Telangana’.
Mr. Singh appreciated the ‘dynamic’ Minister’s suggestion to organise outreach programmes across countries and praised Telangana as a progressive State but did not commit about its request for hosting the next Pravas Bharatiya Diwas in 2019 at Hyderabad. “ Apart from Telangana, Chief Ministers of several other States too want to host the event in their States. We already organised the event once in Hyderabad. We will consider all aspects and take a decision. NRIs are aware of Hyderabad and they would like to see rest of India too,” he said.
