New Delhi, Feb 5 The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is "seriously considering" enacting a new law tentatively titled 'Overseas Mobility (Facilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2024' that will replace the "outdated provisions" of the Emigration Act 1983, the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs stated in its fourth report that was presented to Lok Sabha on Monday.
"Keeping in view the contemporary global migration dynamics and the needs of Indian citizens, the Committee has over the years underscored the pressing need for a comprehensive legislative overhaul to replace the outdated provisions of the Emigration Act 1983. After much delay, the Ministry is seriously considering enacting a new law tentatively titled ‘Overseas Mobility (Facilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2024'", the report by the Committee, which is chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, mentions.
It adds: "The Ministry has further informed the Committee that the proposed draft is under consultation with line Ministries and will, thereafter, be put up for public consultations. The Committee desire that it should be consulted on the salient features of the Bill and the enactment of a revised act reflecting changed global migration realities should be done in a time bound manner i.e. not later than one year".
Replying to a question in Lok Sabha on November 11 last year on the issue of compensation for Indian migrant workers, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh had said that there are around 15 million Indian nationals abroad including unskilled workers, skilled workers and professionals.
"Ministry maintains the data in respect of Indian workers, holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports, proceeding for overseas employment through e-Migrate portal to any of the 18 notified ECR category countries," he said.
The report also details that the Ministry stated that in recent years, there has been a visible enhancement in India's standing as a global power with advances in economic, scientific and technological arenas.
"There is a growing interest from across the world in engaging with India. This has resulted in expansion of India’s diplomatic outreach manifesting in India taking the lead in regional groupings, increase in the number of high-level exchanges, bilateral agreements and MOUs signed, growth in economic and developmental cooperation, and initiatives led by India on the international stage such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA), Coalition on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) etc."
The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has built a conducive environment for India's growth and development through partnerships with friendly countries over the last one decade.
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