Modi reaches out to Indian workers who build glitzy skyscrapers in UAE

August 17, 2015

New Delhi, Aug 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited a labour camp in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to highlight New Delhi's concern about the welfare of its migrant workers helping to build glitzy skyscrapers, hotels and museums in the oil-rich Gulf state.

modinri 4

PM Modi's two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates coincides with international calls to improve workers' conditions in Gulf countries, which rely on Asian labour for mega projects such as the World Expo 2020 in Dubai and the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

Some 2.6 million Indians live and work in the UAE, according to Indian embassy figures. The embassy estimates about 60 per cent of those are blue-collar workers.

About 200 workers broke into applause when PM Modi arrived at an indoor basketball court at the labour camp in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi. PM Modi chatted with the workers, enquiring about the place and their welfare and jobs, but made no comments to the media.

The Prime Minister is due to attend a public event in Dubai on Monday with some 40,000 Indian expatriates expected to attend.

"He wants to convey that the safety, security and welfare conditions for Indian workers should not be ignored," a senior Indian government official told Reuters in New Delhi.

"The Indian government is aware that the UAE will employ thousands of Indian workers to organize the World Expo 2020, but after the recent Qatar experience, the government wants to send a clear message that India will not allow rampant exploitation of its workers."

In November, India launched a campaign for higher wages for its workers in the Gulf states. Indian diplomats raised the minimum salaries they recommend because of higher living costs.

modinri 2

UAE officials, including the labour minister, have said that labour legislation in the country is in line with the UAE constitution. Laws regulate the labour market, providing protection of workers and their rights, they said.

Several measures, including mid-day breaks for workers in the country's sweltering summer heat, better healthcare facilities and accommodation have been provided across the UAE. But rights groups think a lot more needs to be done.

"Lack of proper regulation by the authorities in both India and the UAE of the booming migrant-worker recruitment industry, including visa brokers, has allowed rogue recruiting agents to cause serious human rights abuses with impunity," Salil Shetty, secretary-general of Amnesty International said.

"Some welcome improvements by the UAE over the last decade have been put in serious doubt by the crackdown on labour activists and failure to carry out meaningful reform of the kafala system, further increasing the vulnerability of migrant workers to human rights abuses."

PM Modi will be seeking to engage Abu Dhabi, one of the richest sovereign wealth funds in the world, to invest in India as well as expand cooperation in the energy sector. Abu Dhabi accounts for 9 percent of India's energy needs and India wants to increase that, the official said.

"The orientation of the Gulf countries has always been towards US and Europe, but the prime minister wants to highlight the benefits of investing in India and he wants to engage Abu Dhabi on long-term projects," the official said.

modiw

modinri 1

modinri 3

Comments

Theresa
 - 
Tuesday, 10 Jan 2017

Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this,
like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a
bit, but instead of that, this is fantastic blog.
A great read. I will definitely be back.

my web blog: auto transport: http://kfta.korea.com/xe/?document_srl=6817969

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
coastaldigest.com news network
January 23,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 23: Expressing shock over the blast which left him and his supporters injured yesterday, Shantinagar MLA NA Haris today said that the incident cannot be brushed aside as a firecracker blast and appealed to the state government to inquire into the incident.

Recovering from the injuries sustained on his leg, Haris was discharged from St Philomena's Hospital on Thursday afternoon. 

Interacting with mediapersons outside his residence in Shantinagar, Haris said, “It wasn’t a cracker but a ball-like object that was hurled at me. Since my childhood, I have been seeing crackers and the object that was thrown at me was certainly not a cracker. It had splinters and hard objects.”

He said, “I have been representing the constituency for over 12-years and had no rivalry with anyone. Barring political ideology during elections, all the leaders in our constituency have been cooperative with each other. Yet, we do not know what the intention was or who was behind the incident.”

Revealing that home minister Basavaraj Bommai had called him to enquire about his condition at the hospital Haris said, “I have also briefed the home minister and explained to him what exactly happened. I have full faith in the police and will cooperate with the police during the investigation.” Haris said that doctors have advised him three to four-days of rest.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 3,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 3: Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu has said that a medical team is monitoring the health condition of all those people who had stayed with the coronavirus-hit techie who is admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad.

The first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Telangana was reported from Hyderabad on Monday where a man from Bengaluru, who recently returned from Dubai, tested positive for the virus.

"It has come to our knowledge that the coronavirus-hit person in Hyderabad had gone from Bengaluru. Therefore, all the members in the house where he had stayed here have been identified and are under watch," Mr Sriramulu tweeted on late Monday night.

The minister said he has convened a meeting with the additional chief secretary, commissioner and other senior officials of the health department today.

"Our government has initiated all the measures to prevent the spread of this virus," the minister said.

It is learnt that the 24-year-old techie had not contracted it when he was in Bengaluru but all precautionary measures have been taken.

The software engineer, who works in Bengaluru, had worked with people from Hong Kong in Dubai last month where he is suspected to have contracted the virus, Telangana health minister E Rajender told reporters in Hyderabad.

The man reached Bengaluru on February 19/20 and later went to Hyderabad in a bus.

He took treatment for fever after coming to Hyderabad and was admitted to a private super speciality hospital in the city. As it did not subside, he came to the state-run Gandhi hospital on Sunday evening, Mr Rajender said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
February 16,2020

Kalaburagi, Feb 16: Fourteen years of life in jail has not deterred Subhash Patil from fulfilling his dream of becoming a doctor.

The 40-year-old man from Afzalpura in Karnataka's Kalaburagi was put behind bars in a murder case while doing MBBS in 1997.

Speaking to media, Patil said, "I joined MBBS in 1997. But, I was jailed in a murder case in 2002. I worked at the jail's OPD and was released in 2016 for good conduct. I completed my MBBS in 2019."

Earlier this month, Patil completed a one-year mandatory internship for getting the MBBS course degree.

Police arrested Patil in 2002 in a murder case when he was in his third year of MBBS course. A court sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2006.

He was put behind bars but he did not give up his childhood dream of becoming a doctor.

In 2016, police released Patil on Independence day for his good conduct.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.