India Foreign Minister warns of ‘food crisis’ facing labourers as construction in Gulf states slows
Indians are among millions of Asians working in Gulf states where human rights groups say many suffer exploitation and abuses
New Delhi has been working to feed more than 10,000 Indian labourers stranded in the Gulf with no wages after losing their jobs, in what Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj referred to as a “food crisis”.
In a series of tweets, Swaraj said the migrant workers were facing “extreme hardship” and that two junior foreign ministers will be sent to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to take up the issue with authorities.
“Large number of Indians have lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The employers have not paid wages [and] closed down their factories,” Swaraj said.
“As a result our brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are facing extreme hardship. While [the] situation in Kuwait is manageable, matters are much worse in Saudi Arabia.
“The number of Indian workers facing food crisis in Saudi Arabia is over 10,000.”
The number of Indian workers facing food crisis in Saudi Arabia is over 10,000
Indians are among millions of Asians working in Gulf states where human rights groups say many suffer exploitation and abuses, including the non-payment of wages, with no channels for redress.
