Matriculates need no emigration clearance

New Delhi, June 6 (UNI) In a major step aimed at promoting orderly migration of Indian labourers, Emigration Clearance (EC) is no longer required for those with a basic qualification of matriculation (SSLC) for taking up employment abroad from next month.

The number of countries in respect of which emigration clearance is required is being brought down to 17 from 138.

At present, Emigration clearance is required for those below higher secondary (plus two) and also in respect of 138 out of the 191 countries under the UN system.

Overseas Indian Affairs (OIA) Minister Vayalar Ravi told mediapersons here today that these measures were being put in place to simplify the emigration procedures and to make them more effective.

He said the proposal to relax the qualification for emigration clearance had been cleared by his ministry and also the ministries of External Affairs and Home. The proposal was now pending before the Committee of Secretaries and a notification giving effect to it was expected by this month end.

Mr Ravi said the 17 countries in respect of which emigration clearance was required included the six GCC countries (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, and the Sultanate of Oman), Jordan, Yemen, Libya, Malaysia and Thailand.

He said 53 countries had already been exempted from the Emigration Clearance requirements. The number of such countries had been raised to 138 now.

''Our policy is to promote orderly migration. We encourage Indian labourers to go abroad for employment as it provides a lot of opportunities to our people. However, migration should be humane,'' Mr Ravi said, adding that the emigration clearance was made compulsory in respect of 17 countries because conditions were not conducive there. Moreover, labour laws were not to the level of protecting labourers in the unorganised sector.

He said in order to ensure that Indian labourers were not cheated by recruiting agents, he said it would be made mandatory for the employer abroad to get a model contract, power of attorney and the demand letter sealed from the Indian embassy in respective countries before the employee leaves India to take up the job offered abroad.

In the light of worrisome feedbacks, the government had been discouraging women below the age of 30 to go abroad as maids, especially in gulf countries.

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