Mumbai: The Government of India has taken significant diplomatic and humanitarian measures to make the working environment safer, simpler and more accessible for Indian women workers employed in the Gulf countries. To provide immediate and coordinated assistance to Indian women facing difficult or crisis situations, seven state-of-the-art ‘One-Stop Centres’ have been established in major cities across the Gulf.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh provided this information in response to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha. Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Singh had sought information regarding the challenges faced by Indians working in the Gulf countries and the steps being taken by India in this regard. In his response, the Minister of State said that nearly 10 million Indian citizens reside in the Gulf countries, 4.5 million in the UAE, 2.7 million in Saudi Arabia, 1 million in Kuwait, 820,000 in Qatar, 670,000 in Oman and 310,000 in Bahrain. Between 2014 and June 2026, a total of 5,025,506 emigrant workers holding ‘Emigration Check Required’ (ECR) category passports were granted ‘Emigration Clearance’ (EC) for overseas employment in the six Gulf countries.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Minister said, “Recruitment can only be through State-run RAs or directly by a foreign employer (FE) that is registered with the concerned Indian Mission/Post. An FE hiring women workers is required to deposit a financial guarantee of US$ 2,500/- with the concerned Indian Mission/Post abroad and the contract between the worker and the employer must be duly attested by the Indian Mission. 7 One Stop Centres have been established in the Gulf (in Manama, Muscat, Doha, Riyadh, Dubai, Jeddah and Kuwait) especially to provide timely, comprehensive and coordinated assistance to Indian women in distress. These One Stop Centres have dedicated helplines, facilitate access to medical and police assistance, extend legal aid and counselling and provide psycho-social support.”
He said, “Established channels have been set up to enable them to reach out to the concerned Indian Mission/Post for assistance, including walk-in appointments, email, multilingual 24x7 emergency numbers, WhatsApp numbers, grievance redressal portal like MADAD/CPGRAMS/eMigrate, and social media channels. Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendras have been set up in 3 locations in the Gulf, namely, Dubai, Jeddah, and Riyadh, to provide guidance and counselling to Indian workers.”
Minister Singh also shared with Parliament data related to complaints received by Indian Missions and their prompt resolution, noting that most cases were resolved immediately. He further stated that Indian workers travelling abroad are also benefiting significantly from the Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY).
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