India to bring back 10,000 workers from Saudi Arabia: Sushma

The government is making all efforts to bring back the 10,000 Indian workers rendered jobless in Saudi Arabia and is also providing them food in camps, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in the lok Sabha on Monday.

She also said that Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh will visit Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to start the process.

"I assure you that no Indian worker rendered unemployed in Saudi Arabia will go without food. I am monitoring the situation on hourly basis. I am satisfied to say this in the Parliament that ration (food packets) has been distributed to all the five camps for the next 10 days," said Sushma Swaraj.

"But this is not a permanent solution to the problem. The companies have shut their factories and left. We can't leave our workers there. I contacted their foreign office and labour office. We have asked the foreign office to authorize us to bring them from Saudi Arabia," she added.

Elaborating on the situation, Sushma said: "But their payments are also due. So, I have aked the labour office that each one of them will sign a contract. Before the company pays the government's (Saudi Arabia) dues, they should first pay these workers."

She said all the formalities will be completed once V.K. Singh reaches Riyadh.

"Not even a single worker will stay hungry. Everyone will get food this is my assurance to the country through the Parliament," said Sushma Swaraj.

The workers have been laid off by Saudi Oger, a leading Saudi construction company following the slowdown in the Saudi construction industry due to the fall in global crude oil prices.