Govt to place kiosks at airport to assist emigrants

Special kiosks will be set up at the departure points at all international airports in the country to assist emigrants who want to clear their last-minute problems including about their employers abroad before boarding the flight, a top MEA official said here Wednesday.

As a first step such kiosks--a last chance for the emigrants to clear doubts their employers and matters including their contract--would be first opened at Mumbai and New Delhi international airports, Dnyaneshwar M Mulay, Secretary, Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV division), in the External Affairs Ministry, told reporters here.

"We have plans in the near future to open kiosks at international airports for providing guidance and consultations to the potential emigrants," he said. "If they have any last minute problems, last minute advise that they wanted to seek that will also be available to them right before their departure at the departure point," Mulay added.

He said sometimes it was seen that emigrants at a confused state before boarding their flight. The kiosks to be opened at the international airports would be a kind of guidance, resource and assistance centre, he added. The emigrants will get guidance from the kiosks on any doubts they might have, including about their employer and the validity of their contract, he said.

Mulay, who is also secretary Overseas Indian Affairs (OIA), was in Kochi to inaugurate the Attestation/Apostille Services at the Regional Passport Office. He said the government is in the process of framing a new emigration policy to replace the Emigration Act, 1983, saying it has become "outdated in many ways" because, since 1983, global emigration pattern has changed.

"There are a large number of people other than blue colour workers are also going to abroad. So the idea here in the new immigration bill is to see where we lack in terms of taking care our Indian citizens abroad," Mulay said.

He said consultations were held Tuesday in New Delhi with recruiting agents, academicians, and various UN agencies like UN Women, an international organisation for migration and International Labour Organisation as part of preparing the draft bill to replace the existing law. "Next week, we will be having the consultation with the state government representatives," he said, adding that the idea of the bill in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision that India should become the capital of quality manpower.

(With inputs from agencies.)