![]()
![]()
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2322
ANSWERED ON 12/03/2026
PROTECTION OF INDIAN WORKERS ABROAD
2322. SHRI MOHAMMED NADIMUL HAQUE
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) the number of complaints received from Indian migrant workers regarding wage theft, contract substitution or passport confiscation during the last five years, country-wise;
(b) the number of cases in which Indian missions were unable to secure recovery of dues;
(c) whether any bilateral labour agreements were reviewed or suspended due to repeated violations; and
(d) if not, the reasons for continuing deployment despite documented abuse?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a to d) As per information available, year-wise and country-wise details of complaints received from Indian workers abroad, including those related to wage theft, contract substitution, or passport confiscation during the last five years are given in Annexure-A.
Government of India (GOI) has entered into several bilateral/multilateral mechanisms with key destination countries, including those in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries for safeguarding the interests of Indian workers, and redressal of their grievances. These include Labour and Manpower Cooperation Agreement, Protocol on Domestic Workers, etc. Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreements have been signed with countries like Australia, Austria, Denmark, France, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom to facilitate safe and legal mobility of Indian workers. Labour Mobility Agreements have also been signed with Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Portugal and Taiwan. There are established procedures for periodic review of these agreements in terms of Joint Working Groups (JWG) / Joint Consultative Committees (JCM) Meeting, monitoring of their implementation and also to address issues/disputes, if any.