In light of the Indian worker deaths in Qatar, examine the need to reorient public policy for migrant workers.

A very huge Indian workforce live and work in the gulf countries and their annual remittances is a major part of forex reserves. A majority of them are semi-skilled or unskilled. Hence, they are vulnerable to exploitation by employers.

Migrant workers in Gulf:

• Most of these workers are recruited through the visa sponsorship system. It ties a foreign worker’s residency permit to an employer.
• Agents and employers exploit the system to recruit laborers.
• The administration in Gulf nations is non-transparent and does not recognise labour rights.
• The bargaining power of these workers is reduced due to high availability of cheap and footloose global labour.

Need to reorient public policy:

• The Responsibility of ensuring the well-being of the migrant workforce lies with both the Union and the state governments in India.
• The migrants should be provided training before their departure to foreign nations. It will make migrant workers informed about their rights and equip them to deal with crisis at labour sites and camps.
• Concerns of migrant workers needs to be prioritized by the lndian embassies.
• The Centre could start a conversation with governments in the Gulf on improving oversight in contract enforcement and labour welfare.
• The governments at Union and state levels should learn from best practices followed by some states. Kerala is one such example.