Norms for Gulf nations to hire Indian maids relaxed

EMPLOYERS FROM GULF, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA WILL NO LONGER NEED TO DEPOSIT $2,500 BANK GUARANTEE

NEWDELHI:The government has made it easier for foreigners to hire Indian women in jobs such as housemaids in their countries, a step aimed at combating shrinking offshore jobs and growing illegal recruitment rackets.

Prospective employers from 18 ‘ECR’ countries, including those in the Gulf region, Indonesia and Malaysia, will no longer need to deposit a $2,500 bank guarantee if they want to hire an Indian woman through the government-run agencies in six states.

The bank guarantee was introduced two years ago to protect against exploitation of Indians who migrate with nonskilled jobs. “The Government of India has decided that deposit of bank guarantee of $ 2500 or equivalent is henceforth not required for recruiting female ECR passport holders for overseas employment in any of the 18 ECR countries, when they are recruited through any of the… six state government recruiting agencies”, said an official missive early this month.

External affairs ministry issued a circular to this effect to Indian embassies in these 18 countries and protector of emigrants. ECR, or emigration check required, is a migration protocol followed in the case of people who are regarded vulnerable for exploitation, mostly in jobs involving labour.

These include people who have not passed the tenth grade or come from impoverished backgrounds.

“The bank guarantee worked as a deterrent for employers to use the formal channel. This pushed the recruitment process underground and led to thriving irregular channels for domestic worker recruitment,” said Seeta Sharma, national project coordinator at the International Labour Organisation.

“The removal of this bank guarantee for the six public recruitment agencies is expected to support the creation of legal pathways for migration,” she added.