The Indian government brought home the first batch of 26 Indian workers stranded in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, reported PTI. Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh was in the Gulf nation last week to speak to the government regarding the plight of thousands of workers whose employers shut shop and fled leaving them in the lurch. Following the visit, Saudi Arabia agreed to resolve the issue and provide free passage to the workers.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, "Mr Singh has had very productive meetings with the labour minister and other senior ministers during his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a result of these meetings, the process of lodging claims and for those wishing to come back to India has already started."
He said the Indian government appreciates the “magnanimous view” taken by the Gulf country. The workers were stranded in Saudi Arabia as the law of the land does not allow foreign employees to leave without a No Objection Certificate from the employer.
Swarup said, “The swift action to tackle a localised problem specific only to some companies of Saudi Arabia signifies the deep and abiding relationship that our two countries share." He said governments of the states the workers hail from will make arrangements for their passage back to their respective hometowns.
The crisis came to light after it emerged that nearly 10,000 Indian workers in Saudi Arabia are unemployed and starving after large-scale layoffs. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took up the issue and sent Singh to the country to take stock of the situation.
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