Kuwait might force 8 lakh Indians to leave the country

The Kuwait Government has decided to halve the expatriate population due to the slump in oil process and COVID-19 crisis.

Highlights

The Kuwait National Assembly recently approved a draft bill according to which population of Indians in Kuwait should not exceed 15% of the total population of the country. This could force 8 lakh Indians to leave the country.

Background

The population of Indians in Kuwait account to 1.45 million. The total population of the country is 4.3 million. Of this, the expats account to 3 million. In May 2020, the prime minister of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al Khalid Al Sabah had proposed to decrease the number of expats in the country from 70% to 30%.

Gulf Economy

According to the United Nations at least 6,50,00 expatriates in Kuwait are from India, Philippines, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They are employed as domestic workers in the country.

Saudi Arabia in the Gulf region hosts second-largest migrants in the world.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2020