"During 2009, about 6.10 lakh Indian workers emigrated under the Emigration Act, 1983," Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi told the Rajya Sabha in reply to a question.
The Gulf region has been a preferred destination for Indians. As per official estimate, nearly five million workers are currently living in the Gulf region which accounts for an average of 27 per cent of the total remittance inflows to India, with major source countries being the UAE and Saudi Arabia. India received USD 52 billion as remittances from the region in 2008-09.
Published 09 December 2010, 14:37 IST