Congress roots for migrant labour act

Hyderabad: The Congress party on Wednesday demanded that the State government bring a comprehensive Migrant Labour and NRI Welfare Act and give Rs 5 lakh ex gratia to those who died in the Gulf countries.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Chief Spokesperson Sravan Dasoju said the sufferings of Gulf migrant labourers had worsened now due to callousness of and lopsided priorities of ruling TRS government. "Most of migration took place from Telangana districts such as Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak and Hyderabad and majority of them are Dalits, Backward Classes and Minorities,” he said.

According to Ministry of External Affairs, there were more than 10-12 lakhs of workers, including women, from Telangana State, in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries. It was estimated that nearly every month Rs 1,500 crores worth of foreign exchange was being remitted to Telangana State by the Gulf Workforce. “It is a significant contribution to the overall economy of the State and country and what we give in return to them and families is always far below than what is needed,” he said.

The Congress leader said that government of Kuwait has declared residency amnesty from January 29 to February 22 this year. About 10,000 irregular migrant workers from Telangana State, who are overstayers and residency law violators in Kuwait would be benefited from the general amnesty.

"We demand that the State government send a delegation to Kuwait to coordinate with Kuwait authorities, give confidence and provide free air tickets for needy migrants. After returning to India or Telangana State, these workers should be given 'Return, Resettlement and Rehabilitation' package to help them settle in their native places with dignity and decent quality of life," he said.