Migration of Indians to Gulf countries including Saudi, UAE drops 62% over 5 years

coastaldigest.com web desk
January 12, 2019

Newsroom, Jan 12: The number of Indian workers emigrating to Saudi Arabia, UAE and other Gulf countries has declined sharply in last few years thanks to the economic slowdown in the Middle East triggered by weak oil prices.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs of Indian government, emigration clearances granted to Indians headed to the Gulf for employment have dropped by 21%, standing at 2.95 lakh during the 11-month period ended November 30, 2018, as compared to 2017.

The five-year outflow of Indian workers to Gulf peaked in 2014 at 7.76 lakh. Compared to that figure, the decline in 2018 is as high as 62%. These statistics are drawn from the e-Migrate emigration clearance data, which captures emigration clearances issued to workers holding ECR (emigration check required) passports.

As of the middle of 2015, Indians made up one-third of the migrants to the six oil-rich Arab countries – the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar – and accounted for 15% of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries' entire population, according to data from the United Nations Population Division's 'International Migrant Stock 2015'.

During 2018, the largest outflow was to UAE, comprising 1.03 lakh (or 35%) of the total workers granted emigration clearances. This was followed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait with 65,000 and 52,000 workers headed to these countries.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia had relinquished its position as the most attractive destination among Gulf countries for Indian workers. In 2014, nearly 3.30 lakh workers had migrated to Saudi Arabia-over a five-year period the decline has been a sharp 80%.

According to a reply given by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in the Lok Sabha, last December, there are several reasons for the decrease in numbers. "Prominent among them is that the Gulf countries are passing through a period of economic slowdown primarily because of the slump in oil prices. Coupled with this, the Gulf countries are aiming at filling up maximum posts both in public and private sector with their own nationals."

Comments

AU, Mangalore
 - 
Sunday, 13 Jan 2019

T

he world is suffering economically due to bad leaders and their phylosophy about other religion. Due to unwanted wars and its expenses, Today entire world and people sufeering due to their failue in handling countries. Population increasing and the requirements also should increase but why economy is going down? We cannot find leaders like Mr. Manmohan singh in entire life. No politicians bothered about others personal problems. All are selfish people and using vote bank to lure the citizen. No smile on anyones face now due to bad economy and price hike. Peace in life went away.

Joseph Stalin
 - 
Saturday, 12 Jan 2019

There are many jobs in India. We are hesitate to do jobs in India. We think about status, position. But if he/she goes to arab countries, will do all kind of job

Unknown
 - 
Saturday, 12 Jan 2019

Feku doesnt bothered about Indians job. He's promoting pakoda and tea selling. If Arab countries also ignoring Indians means there is something to worry

Suresh
 - 
Saturday, 12 Jan 2019

They given salary but still people from India made Arab countries bigger. Thier efforts made them developed

Mohan
 - 
Saturday, 12 Jan 2019

Arab countries started ignoring Indian workers. 

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News Network
May 6,2020

Dubai, May 6: The Indian nationals cleared by the UAE health authorities and found to be asymptomatic will only be allowed to fly back home in one of India's biggest ever repatriation exercises, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi has said ahead of the first set of flights on Thursday.

On Monday, the Indian government announced plans to begin a phased repatriation of its citizens stranded abroad from May 7. Air India will operate 64 flights from May 7 to May 13 to bring back around 15,000 Indian nationals stranded abroad amid the COVID-19-induced lockdown, India's Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

The first two special flights that will operate from Thursday to evacuate Indians stranded in the UAE due to the coronavirus pandemic will begin with applicants from Kerala, who formed the majority of the expatriates who have registered to be repatriated from here, Indian Ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor has said.

"All departing passengers will have to undergo medical screening and IGM/IGG test at the departure airport and only those cleared by the UAE health authorities and found to be asymptomatic will be allowed to board the plane,” the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said on Tuesday.

According to the embassy, all passengers will be required to sign an undertaking to undergo compulsory quarantine at the destination of arrival and bear the cost of the same.

“Each passenger, at the time of boarding would be handed over a safety kit containing 2 three-layered face masks, 2 pairs of gloves and pouches/small bottles of hand sanitizers. While on board the flight, the health protocol of the Ministry of Civil Aviation of India will be strictly followed,” said the embassy.

The passenger lists for the two flights on May 7 have been finalised by the Embassy / Consulate and sent to Air India Express for issue of tickets.

The Embassy / Consulate will continue conveying the details of further special flights as and when they are announced by the Government of India, over the next few days.

Less than 2,000 Indians wishing to return home from the UAE will be flown to six Indian states in the first week of India’s biggest ever repatriation exercise named Vande Bharat Mission—sans social distancing and COVID-19 tests, the Gulf News reported.

Only those cleared by the UAE health authorities and found to be asymptomatic will be allowed to board the plane.

The short-listed applicants, who were contacted by the Indian missions on Tuesday to purchase tickets for the first two flights to Kerala on Thursday, told the Gulf News that the tickets are priced around Dh 725 to Dh 750 (over Rs 15,000).

Sharjah resident Rasheed Thayyil said his 70-year-old mother Nepheeza Thottungal, who came on a visit to the UAE in February, received an email from the Indian Consulate in Dubai which quoted an airfare of around Dh725 (approx Rs 15,000), the report said.

Another applicant from Abu Dhabi Ambily Babu said she purchased a ticket at Dh 750 from Air India Express for her Abu Dhabi-Kochi flight scheduled to fly on Thursday evening, it said.

Air India Express which is set to operate the first two flights to Kerala on Thursday will operate its Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with a seating capacity of 186 economy class seats, the report added.

With nine seats reserved for isolation, only 177 passengers would be flown, it said.

The Indian expatriate community of approximately 3.42 million is reportedly the largest ethnic community in the UAE constituting roughly about 30 per cent of the country's population, according to information available on the Indian Embassy website.

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News Network
May 3,2020

Bengaluru, May 3: Renowned Kannada poet KS Nissar Ahmed passed away on May 3.

Winner of several awards including Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry, Rajyotsava Award, Padma Shri among others, Ahmed died at the age of 84

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News Network
May 5,2020

Bengaluru, May 5: The Karnataka excise department booked a case against a wine shop owner in this tech city for allegedly selling more liquor than permitted under the law to a buyer on the first day of shops reopening for business after 40-day lockdown on Monday, an official said on Tuesday.

"We have booked a case against licensed shop owner S. Venkatesh for reportedly selling Indian made liquor (IML) and beer to a buyer on Monday more than he is permitted under the Karnataka Excise Act section 36," Bengaluru South Excise Deputy Commissioner A. Giri told media persons.

The alleged sale came to light when the unidentified customer posted in the social media a receipt showing he bought liquor worth Rs 52,841 from Vanilla Spirit Zone in the city''s south-eastern suburb on Monday afternoon.

"Preliminary investigation revealed that 17.4 litres of IML was sold against the permissible limit of 2.3 litres and 35.1 litres of beer against the legal limit of 18.2 litres," Giri said.

Venkatesh, however, told Giri that the buyer paid for the liquor bought by him and seven of his colleagues at the same time from the shop as they entered together.

"We are investigating to ascertain if Venkatesh violated the license conditions by paying for liquor bought by his friends with him at the same time," Giri added.

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