'People must avoid illegal channels to find foreign jobs,' says former Union minister V Muraleedharan

Nimisha Priya is on death row in Yemen for allegedly killing a citizen of the West Asian nation in a desperate bid to retrieve her passports from him. V Muraleedharan, former minister of external affairs, who helped many Indians in distress in foreign countries, tells DH’s Arjun Raghunath that though the laws in the West Asian nations do not permit an employer to take away the passport of a foreign employee, Indians, who take jobs through illegal routes, are often forced to submit the travel documents.

How does the government help hundreds of Indians who end up behind bars in foreign countries?

A large number of Indians are jailed in foreign countries for illegal activities like drug peddling and other criminal activities. In such cases, the Government of India has limited scope to intervene. There are however many other cases in which Indians end up in foreign jails, for other reasons, including for want of release orders even after the end of their punishment. In such cases, our missions used to help in getting the release orders. We have been constantly taking up issues related to safeguarding the interests of the Indian workers in the West Asian region at forums like the Abu Dhabi Dialogue. There is a considerable decline in the problems faced by the Indian diaspora from employers.

Why are so many Indian citizens landing in trouble after taking jobs in foreign countries?

Unfortunately, a large number of Indians seeking overseas jobs are relying on illegal channels. Most of them go abroad using tourist visas and take up jobs. The majority of the people facing problems are those who are not migrating through proper channels. One can check online the veracity of job offers from abroad as well as the authenticity of the recruiting agents. But people continue to fall prey to fake offers by scrupulous agents. The racket of illegal recruiting agents seems to be very influential too as state governments often fail to act effectively against them, despite specific alerts by the Ministry of External Affairs.

How does the government help Indian citizens in foreign countries in such cases?

I will consider the launch of the Global Pravasi Rishta Portal as one key initiative in addressing issues of the Indian diaspora during my term as MoS in the MEA. I could resolve around 4,000 grievances. Similarly, Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra is also extending legal assistance to those in distress.

Many Indians are in foreign prisons as they cannot afford to pay blood money to the families of the victims. Can't the Indian Community Welfare Fund be used for this purpose?

There is no provision for using the ICWF to pay blood money. Blood money is a sort of personal settlement. The ICWF is mainly used by the embassies to extend immediate medical care, arrange transportation of mortal remains, and provide legal assistance in deserving cases.