In a major step in mitigating the problems of Indian workers stranded in Saudi Arabia, the rulers there have assured New Delhi that local officials will do the needful including ferrying them to India in their planes besides ensuring they get due wages.
Announcing this in both the Houses of Parliament on Thursday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the breakthrough came about after the intervention of King of Saudi Arabia. He directed his Government to resolve the issues within the next two days. Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh now there to help the workers will return only after the process starts, she said.
Giving details of the steps taken, the Minister said Saudi Arabia said it will deploy its planes to fly those Indians desirous of returning home free of charge. Moreover, apart from giving them exit visas, the workers can file their claims for wages due to them and the Indian Embassy will take up the issue with Saudi labour office, she said. Each worker who returns home will get wages here, Swaraj said.
Besides these major measures, the Saudi Arabia Government was also providing free food and medical facilities to those Indian workers now living in camps there, she informed Parliament, adding the hospitals there were making necessary arrangements. She also said those Indian workers who want to stay back can find alternative jobs according to their qualifications and the local Government will help them in this endeavour too.
Sushma credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts in building strong personal ties with the Saudi King and also between the two countries during his recent visit to the Islamic nation for the outcome.
She said VK Singh, camping there since Tuesday evening, will return after formalising the arrangements for the Indian workers.
In the Rajya Sabha, leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad complimented the Indian and the Saudi Governments for reaching a solution on the issue. In the lok Sabha, Jyotiraditya Scindia (Congress) took a jibe at the Government, saying other Ministers should follow her practice of responding to concerns raised in the House.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said there should not be politics on every issue and if something good has happened, it should be praised. “You should at times compliment them (Government),” she told Congress leaders.