Protector of Emigrants (POE) warns people against unauthorized agents while going abroad for jobs
Mangaluru: Warning the people who go abroad for employment, IFS Officer, Protector of Emigrants, Bengaluru (Jurisdiction: Karnataka and Goa) Shubham Singh has said that people should deal only with an authorized agent, certified by the office of the Protector of Emigrants (POE) under Ministry of External Affairs.
He was speaking to Vartha Bharati in an interview on his visit to Mangaluru to review the operations and functioning of authorized agencies and to check on unauthorized agencies in the region.
“Agencies that recruit people for jobs abroad should obtain certification from the Protector of Emigrants (POE) that operates under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). There are only 20 agencies in the state that are registered with the POE” Shubham Singh told Vartha Bharati.
He also added that the POE has initiated a crackdown on the agencies that are operating illegally in the state including in Mangaluru and are recruiting people for jobs abroad.
The office of POEs started operating in Karnataka from December after a long-standing demand from the government. It is responsible for protecting the interests of Indians migrating abroad for jobs. Shubham opined that much has changed ever since the POEs started operating in the state. There is a lot of awareness in the public sector.
“Those who are going abroad for employment and want to contact us can do so through our official website or telephone to confirm the authenticity of the agencies they are dealing with” he added.
“Our primary duty is to ensure that the rights of migrants from Karnataka are protected and that their rights are not violated. We are also the authorized body to grant permissions to the companies and agencies who recruit people for jobs abroad” Shubham added.
“With the help of police and local authorities, the POE also campaigns against the illegal entities and agencies that hire people for jobs in abroad. We also are working to raise awareness through our programs to ensure that those who go abroad for work are not exposed to frauds and violation of their rights in any way.
“Any worker and employee who has gone abroad for work and is facing a violation of his rights, we provide assistance to them through the Indian Embassy in that particular country. The agency at fault and defrauding people will be tried under the law for violating the rights of the people.” Shubham further said.
“The Bangalore office, which is functioning under the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India, has jurisdiction over Karnataka and Goa and is fully operational. There are currently 20 official recruiting agencies in Karnataka. Seven of them are operating in Mangaluru.
“The list of 51 foreign recruiting agents operating in Karnataka has already been checked by the police department. The other 280 agents are operating without authorization, POE is investigating them. During my Mangaluru visit, I met 30 unauthorized agents. They’ve been warned not to violate the Immigration Act and they are advised to register themselves with the POE.
“Some had no idea how to register. So there is a good response. Three of you have already started the process for registration” he said.
Speaking about the COVID pandemic and the economic crisis abroad, Shubham said it was a temporary scenario and things will change for better. Businesses will reopen after the pandemic ends and that will bring more job opportunities for people.
“The recruitment process has begun in some countries over the past few weeks. Skype interviews have begun for employees in several sectors, including drivers, mechanics, and technicians. Therefore, those looking for employment abroad and those who wish to go abroad should deal through authorized recruitment agents only”.
“The POE office will respond to complaints, grievances against any agents within one hour. I guarantee that we will respond to all the complaints. Prospective agents who wish to register with the POE office can also obtain the registration permit by submitting the documents mentioned on the Emigrate.gov.in website for their registration”. Contact no: 8025711499/599.
List of Karnataka’s authorized recruiters of people for jobs abroad:
The Ameen Group Bengaluru, JOBKRAFT Bengaluru, Rehman Enterprises Bengaluru, Seema Enterprises Bengaluru, Euthalia HR Solutions PVT LTD Bengaluru, DURU Cooperation PVT Bengaluru, KSUWSSB Bengaluru, KVTSDC Bengaluru, International Outsourcing Consulting Services Bengaluru, M/S DKN Advisory Bengaluru, HR Consultancy Bangalore (Bengaluru), Careers International Mangaluru, M/S Royal Source Manpower Solutions LLP Moodbidri, Everserve Consultants PVT Mangaluru, Roywin Recruiters Bantwal, Suhan Travel Mangaluru, Gemini Enterorise Mangaluru, ASMAX Consultants Mangaluru, Al Wahid Recruiter Dharwad, Buraq Consultancy Hubballi.
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Petrol, diesel prices hiked by Rs 3/litre after elections as crude costs bite
New Delhi (PTI): Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by Rs 3 per litre each on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses of fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices.
The increase comes 16 days after assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Fuel prices had remained unchanged through the polling period despite a sharp rise in international oil prices triggered by the West Asia conflict.
Petrol price was hiked to Rs 97.77 per litre from Rs 94.77 in the national capital. Diesel now costs Rs 90.67 as against Rs 87.67 per litre previously, industry sources said.
Prices have remained on freeze since April 2022 but for a one-off reduction by Rs 2 a litre each on petrol and diesel in March 2024, just before Lok Sabha elections. Rates were last hiked in April 2022.
Petrol in Mumbai now costs Rs 106.68 a litre and diesel comes for Rs 93.14 per litre. In Kolkata, petrol now costs Rs 108.74 per litre and diesel Rs 95.13, while in Chennai, prices increased to Rs 103.67 for petrol and Rs 95.25 for diesel.
Rates vary across states due to differences in value-added tax.
Although fuel prices are officially deregulated, revisions are often influenced by political considerations.
Energy prices globally shot up after the US-Israel attack on Iran on February 28, and the subsequent retaliation by Tehran effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz - the sea lane through which a fifth of the world's oil and gas transits. Crude oil, the input raw material for making petrol and diesel, surged above USD 120 per barrel during the peak of the West Asia conflict, as opposed to the USD 70-72 range before the conflict.
More recently, prices have eased but remained elevated around the USD 104-110 per barrel range. This triggered massive losses for state-owned fuel retailers, but retail rates remained unchanged as five critical states went to polls.
The oil companies were losing Rs 14 per litre on petrol, Rs 42 a litre on diesel and Rs 674 a litre on cooking gas LPG before Friday's decision.
Earlier this week, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the three fuel retailers were losing about Rs 1,000 crore per day, and the cumulative losses in a quarter were enough to wipe away all the profit they made in a full year. He had put the losses at about Rs 1 lakh crore.
To cushion consumers from rising global prices, the government, on March 27, reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre each.
Private fuel retailers had already increased pump prices. Nayara Energy, the country's largest private fuel retailer, in March raised petrol prices by Rs 5 per litre and diesel by Rs 3, while Shell increased petrol prices by Rs 7.41 and diesel by Rs 25 per litre from April 1. In Bengaluru, Shell sells petrol at Rs 119.85 per litre and diesel at Rs 123.52.
Domestic cooking gas LPG prices were raised in March by Rs 60 per cylinder, but they are still way lower than the actual cost.
Industry sources said the price hike appears calibrated - enough to partially ease margin pressure on oil companies without creating major inflationary shock.
The increase, however, will have some impact on inflation, they said.
India's retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose to 3.48 per cent in April 2026 from 3.40 per cent in March, while wholesale price inflation (WPI) surged to 8.3 per cent, a 42-month high, driven by a sharp rise in fuel and energy prices amid elevated global crude oil rates.
Petrol and diesel do not have a standalone category in the CPI basket, but are captured under the broader 'transport and communication' component and 'fuel and power' category. Petrol and diesel themselves carry relatively smaller but still significant weights through transport-related items, and economists say fuel price hikes have a wider indirect impact because they raise freight, logistics and input costs across sectors.
State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) had abandoned the daily price revision in April 2022 to insulate domestic consumers from a steep price increase that was warranted because of international oil prices shooting through the roof post Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
They incurred heavy losses in the first half of the 2022-23 fiscal year, which they recouped when rates fell in subsequent months.
But the war in West Asia has again sent international oil prices soaring by over 50 per cent.
The basket of crude oil that India imports averaged USD 69 per barrel in February before the war in West Asia broke out. It averaged USD 113-114 per barrel in subsequent months.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently urged citizens to reduce fuel consumption and use public transport and work-from-home options more frequently to help curb foreign exchange outflows on oil imports.
