India, Kuwait sign MoU for cooperation on recruitment of domestic workers
Kuwait City: India and Kuwait have signed an MoU that brings Indian domestic workers in the Gulf nation within the ambit of a legal framework that streamlines their recruitment and provides them with the protection of the law.
The MoU was signed on Thursday by Indian Ambassador Sibi George and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kuwait Majdi Ahmad Al-Dhafiri in the presence of visiting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah.
Jaishankar arrived here on his first bilateral visit to the oil-rich Gulf nation early on Thursday, according to a press release issued by the Indian Embassy here.
The MoU brings the Indian domestic workers in Kuwait within the ambit of a legal framework that streamlines their recruitment and provides them with the protection of the law.
Both ministers welcomed the signing of the MoU which will introduce an employment contract ensuring the rights and obligations of both the employer and the domestic workers.
The MoU seeks to establish a mechanism for 24-hour assistance to domestic workers. It provides for the establishment of a joint committee for periodic review and assessment and to follow up the implementation of the MoU which will conduct annual meetings.
Around one million (ten lakh) Indians reside in Kuwait. India is amongst the largest trading partners of Kuwait and the Gulf nation is a major supplier of oil to India.
Jaishankar on Thursday called on Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
He handed over to him a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed to Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
The visiting minister thanked the leadership for Kuwait's prompt supply of liquid medical oxygen and other oxygen-related supplies to India to fight the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Both sides discussed the state of bilateral relations and also the developments in the region.
Jaishankar's visit comes at the invitation of his Kuwaiti counterpart and is part of the enhanced high-level political exchanges in the context of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Kuwait.
The visiting minister held talks with his counterpart Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah.
Both sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional developments and global issues.
They also discussed the challenges posed by the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, the distress it caused to humanity and reiterated their commitment to jointly fight the pandemic and address the myriad of issues that their citizens face such as travel restrictions and issues related to vaccination.
The topics covered also included food security, cybersecurity, cooperation in the energy sector and issues related to the Indian workforce in Kuwait.
Both sides agreed to hold the first India-Kuwait Joint Commission meeting later this year and also to set dates for early meetings of the Joint Working Groups on health, hydrocarbon and manpower. The two sides also agreed to set up new joint working groups in other areas of cooperation.
The joint celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Kuwait were launched at the meeting.
The year-long celebrations will continue through 2021-2022. In the evening, Jaishankar chaired a round-table conference of Indian ambassadors in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Iran.
The GCC is a political and economic alliance of six countries Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.
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GBA razes down 400 houses in Yelahanka, minority families including Muslims worst affected
Bengaluru: In an incident reported from the state capital, more than 3,000 people living in Fakir Colony of the Kogilu Layout near Yelahanka were rendered homeless by the officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) on Saturday.
The officials, who said the 400 houses were constructed on encroached land, held the operation using nine tractors and nine earthmovers, razing down the houses.
They have ousted around 90 per cent of the families who had been living in the area for more than 30 years and belong to minority communities, including Muslims from the colony.
The bereaved residents have insisted that the government had provided them land in the locality to build houses and reside. “We have all official documents as well as Aadhaar cards and voter IDs as proofs. Our source of livelihood is only manual labour,” they added.
“Many of the families had mortgaged the houses to get loans from banks, but the GBA officials have razed our houses without giving any prior notice,” they said and added, “Some of the women here are pregnant, but the officers showed no concern for such people too.”
Referring to the title deeds, the residents said that the local representatives had assured them that they would be handed the documents. “So far, however, we were not told to vacate the houses. Since the houses were unexpectedly razed, our children’s documents and other valuables in the houses have been destroyed,” the residents added angrily.
They also expressed fury about representatives failing to come to their help in times of need. “They come here only to campaign and get our votes. When questioned about the propriety of destroying the houses, the police officers assaulted us,” some of them said.
Sara Saif Saufique, one of the residents in the Fakir Colony, said, “My family has been living here for three decades, but has unexpectedly lost the house since the officers did not give us notice. They came at around 4:30 am on Saturday, when we were sleeping, and started destroying the houses.”
She said with fury, further, “The officials also forcibly evicted us from the houses, without even permitting us to gather our winterwear or blankets.”
