Hyderabad: Opposition parties on Tuesday flayed the state government, accusing it of failing to work for the welfare of Gulf workers.
Addressing an all-party seminar on ‘Gulf Workers’ Welfare — Role of Governments’ organised by the NRI wing of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee under the chairmanship of former -Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy, the participants said the TRS government did nothing for their welfare and criticised the party for not standing by promises made during the 2014 elections.
Dr B.M. Vinod Kumar, a former ambassador and retired IFS official, said the Central and state governments were neglecting the welfare of these workers.
“Thousands of migrant workers from Telangana are in jails in the Gulf. The state government should provide legal aid and other assistance to them immediately,” he said.
CITU leader M. Saibabu said NRI affairs minister K.T. Rama Rao was not concerned about the problems workers in the Gulf face.
“The families of five Gulf workers are seeking government assistance in getting their kin released from jails but the minister did not initiate any action. The government provides pension to beedi workers but exploits them in minimum wages. As per rule, they should get a minimum wage of Rs 260 but the government gives them only Rs 160 per day. The Rs 100 per day saved on wage is leading to a cumulative gain of hundreds of crores per month,” he said.
Mohd. Ali Shabbir Ali, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, wondered why the government had not come up with an NRI policy in the three years the TRS has been in power. “It is not sanctioning funds to minority department too. I wrote many letters to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and KTR but there was no response,” he said.
He said the Congress initiated welfare of Gulf workers during the period of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. “We reduced their harassment by Customs Department at airports. We brought back 1,260 Gulf workers to Telangana bearing fare charges and penalties in Gulf countries. We also introduced a special wing for migrant workers with a corpus fund of Rs 4.5 crore. Where is the Rs 500 crore that was promised by KCR?,” Mr Shabbir Ali said.
CPI leader Gunda Mallesh criticised the chief minister, stating that earlier he worked as an agent in supplying manpower to Gulf countries. “He knew their problems and what the workers really want. The government is failing to control fake agents,” he said.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Uttam Kumar Reddy has announced his party’s strategy for 2019 elections on Gulf issues.
He promised Gulf workers and their families that the party would release Rs 100 crore per annum in the budgets for the welfare of Gulf workers if voted to power in 2019.
“We shall provide '5 lakh ex-gratia to families of Gulf victims. Thousands of workers are falling sick due to adverse working conditions in Gulf countries and many of them return home due to ill health. There are several cases where migrant workers died within months after returning from Gulf countries. We promise that '5 lakh ex-gratia will be paid to the families of workers who die within a year of returning home. We will also introduce comprehensive social security for migrants, including life insurance, accident insurance, health insurance, pension besides return and resettlement package. The package will be drafted on the lines of Kerala and Punjab. We will fully activate the NRI Department,” he said.
Raising concerns over the death of Telangana workers in the Gulf, Mr. Uttam said, “Statistics reveal that on an average, five coffins arrive from the Gulf countries every day. This emphasises the seriousness of the problem. The TRS, in its manifesto for 2014 elections, made many promises for the welfare of Gulf migrants but, not a single promise has been fulfilled so far. The condition of workers in the Gulf has gone from bad to worse.
