Sushma asks jobless in Saudi to return, not to wait for dues

August 23, 2016

New Delhi, Aug 23: The government on Monday asked stranded Indian workers in Saudi Arabia to return without waiting for unpaid salaries from their Saudi employers, indicating that negotiations to secure their dues had not made headway.

sushma

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj used the social media to reach out to the affected Indian nationals asking them to return without “waiting indefinitely” for their dues.

“When [the] Saudi government settles with the companies which have been closed down, your dues will also be paid,” Ms. Swaraj said in a tweet.

The Minister-level declaration is the first sign that quiet diplomacy led by MoS Gen. (Retd.) V.K. Singh, to ensure dues and salaries for at least 3,172 workers who became jobless after three major Saudi construction firms folded up, did not yield results.

“Indian workers in Saudi Arabia – please file your claims and return home. We will bring you back free of charge. Please appreciate that settlement of claims will take time. There is no point in waiting there indefinitely,” Ms. Swaraj announced on her Twitter account. The announcement came even as Mr. Singh was in Saudi Arabia to seek settlement for the unpaid dues for the nationals.

The issue erupted on July 30 when External Affairs Minister announced from her Twitter handle that 10,000 Indian nationals were facing a “food crisis” in Saudi Arabia as they had not been paid salaries for several months. The crisis was due to non-payment of salaries for Indian nationals.

Subsequently, government sources had told The Hindu that the workers were to be evacuated even as the Consulate General in Jeddah and the Indian Embassy in Riyadh delivered food packets to feed hundreds of Indians.

A few days later, the government revised its estimate to declare that 3,172 workers were facing “distress” whereas 10,000 nationals “required assistance.”

However workers could not be evacuated quickly as most of them did not possess “no-objection certificates” from employing firms that had folded up and that apart they were also reluctant to leave without the “unpaid salaries.”

Medical aid

Following the Indian initiative, the Saudi government pitched in with food, medical and transport support for the jobless workers and promised to give “exit visas” to those without no-objection certificates.

However, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup had confirmed on August 19 that dues-related difficulties continued for Indian workers who were employed with Saudi Oger, Saudi Bin Laden and the Saad Group.

'No third option'

“The important thing to remember is, no third option is available to Indian workers belonging to these three companies,” Mr. Swarup said, asking the workers to opt either for repatriation or relocation to other companies.

Since the beginning of the crisis, two groups of workers were repatriated from Saudi Arabia amid signs that most of the workers were staying back seeking unpaid dues.

However, Ms. Swaraj's announcement on Monday indicates that the government would prefer the “jobless” workers to return after registering the claims — without any further assurances — with the Saudi authorities, as the companies that have ended operations are not in a position to pay the dues immediately.

Comments

shamshuddin Mohammed
 - 
Tuesday, 23 Aug 2016

Dear Sushmaji , what is your plan for Jobless people, to put as Cow Protector. Great Plan..........

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News Network
March 28,2024

Mangaluru, Mar 28: Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Mullai Muhilan MP has warned the individuals and political parties against the poll code violations during private events. 
 
“Private events such as marriages, birthdays, housewarming ceremonies, and other non-political programmes do not require any permission. However, one should ensure that there is no violation of the model code of conduct (MCC) at these functions. Permission is needed if the events are attended by politicians or candidates,” the DC said. 

He said that these gatherings will be under the surveillance of MCC teams, as there are chances of luring voters by campaigning and supplying food, said the DC. The district has 38,386 new voters, of which, 19,619 are men.

He said that the notification of election in Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency will be issued soon, and the filing of nominations will be held between 11 am and 3 pm till April 4. 

Only five persons, including the candidate, will be allowed to enter the returning officer’s chamber to submit the nominations. A facilitation centre will be opened at the DC’s office. 

The expenditure of the candidate will be counted from the day the candidate files the nomination.

The DC said that the district is not an expenditure-sensitive constituency. Assistant expenditure observers and expenditure observers will monitor the expenditure of the candidates. An expenditure book will be provided to the candidate to record expenditure incurred, he explained.

Further, he said that no election materials can be printed without the name and address of the publishers, and the number of copies printed. Separate permission should be availed for procession prior to the submission of nomination papers from the ARO office, through the single-window system.

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News Network
March 14,2024

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Udupi: In a freak mishap, a 65-year-old man lost his life after being hit by his own bus which was being repaired at a garage at Athrady in Udupi district on Wednesday, March 13.

The deceased has been identified as Dayanand Shetty, the owner of a private bus.

It is learnt that the bus had been kept for repairs at the garage and Dayanand had gone there to inspect the repair works.

At this time, the mechanic started the engine and the bus moved ahead. Dayanand, who was standing in front of the bus, came under its wheels.

He was immediately rushed to a hospital where he died without responding to the treatment. A case is registered at jurisdictional Manipal police station.

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News Network
March 26,2024

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Mangaluru: Officials from Cyber Economic and Narcotics Crime Police Station in Mangaluru have arrested a man for allegedly engaging in an online fraud by deceiving a person on the pretext of offering a part-time job. The arrested is Saddam Gauri alias Bavuri, 30, from Rajasthan.

City police commissioner Anupam Agrawal said the CEN police received a complaint regarding an online scam related to a part-time job offer.

Police registered a case under sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act, along with IPC Section 420. The complainant had received a link via WhatsApp from an unknown number, purportedly offering a part-time job opportunity.

Upon clicking the link, the complainant was instructed to complete certain tasks to earn money. However, during the process, the complainant incurred a loss of Rs 1.1 lakh.

Following an investigation into the matter, the CEN police successfully arrested the suspect and presented him before the court. In the course of arrest, police seized two mobile phones, eight debit cards, four bank cheque books, Aadhaar card, PAN card, and other relevant documents from the accused.

The arrest was made possible through the efforts of CEN station inspector Shyam Sundar and his team, under the guidance of City Crime Records Bureau (CCRB) ACP Ravish Nayak and DCP Siddharth Goyal.

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