Abu Dhabi: Hundreds of employers in the UAE have applied for registration under a new programme to protect Indian workers, the Indian Embassy said on Wednesday.
The recently launched e-Migrate system for Foreign Employers (FE) looking to hire Indian workers has been well received, but only 18 out of the 250 registered applicants were verified, the Indian Embassy officials said.
The e-service launched last month by the Indian government aims to prevent false and fraudulent job offers made to Indians.
Currently, the e-Migrate system is available only for FEs looking for Indian blue collar workers and nurses.
“Employers who repeatedly violate laws and regulations will be placed on the ‘Prior Approval Category’ list. This means that they cannot employ Indian workers without authorisation,” Neeta Bhushan, deputy chief of mission and head of chancery at the Indian Embassy, said.
Meanwhile, a monthly raffle for an air ticket is scheduled to begin soon to encourage more Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to register with the embassy.
“We only have about 40,000 NRIs registered with us so far out of the UAE’s 2.6 million Indians living here. A draw to allow one registered NRI to win a ticket to India will begin some time during this month or the next,” the official added.
Repatriating bodies and compiling key emergency contacts for each individual will also become easier once NRIs are registered with the Indian Embassy.
The Embassy is currently visiting labour accommodations in a bid to raise awareness about a variety of important topics pertaining to health and insurance. Training workers on how to use computers effectively is also being considered, Embassy officials said.
NRIs can register on http://indembassyuae.org
For Indian nurses, recruitment will be done through three state-run recruiting agencies — Non-Resident Keralites’ Affairs Department (NORKA-ROOTS), Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants Ltd (ODEPC) and Overseas Manpower Corporation Limited (OMCL), Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
- Maisoon Mubarak is a trainee at Gulf News
