India, Bahrain to sign MoU on labour mobility

Kumarakom, Apr 25 (UNI) India and Bahrain today held discussions for laying down a framework for bilateral cooperation on labour mobility between the two countries.

The discussions were led by Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and Bahrain Labour Minister Majeed Bin Muhsin here. A Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) would be signed on the issue during the course of time.

Addressing a delegation, Mr Ravi said both the countries had to ensure workers' protection, as their contribution to the economy of Bahrain, as well as that of India could not be ignored.

The labour market reforms initiated by the Bahrain government and the constitution of the labour market regulatory authority would go a long way in addressing the labour problems, including malpractices in recruitment and violation of workers entitlements.

The minister said his ministry was actively pursuing new initiatives for improving the management of labour mobility across the borders for the benefit of all key stakeholders - the host country, the home country and the workers.

He said India had started a skill upgradation and pre-departure orientation programme, so that the employers got better quality workers with the right attitude and right skills. The regulatory framework was being strengthened to prevent malpractices in recruitment and deployment of workers, he added.

Stating that measures were being taken to prevent irregular labour mobility in consultation with other countries, Mr Ravi said the e-governance project would help to transform the process of labour mobility into a simple, efficient and effective process.

The MoU would be a major step in strengthening the friendly bilateral relations and would be of immense benefit to the workers, employers and both Indian and Bahrain economies.

He said last year about eight lakh workers went for overseas employment from India and 90 per cent of them went to the GCC countries. About 4.5 million were in the Gulf and 2.8 lakh in Bahrain, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Majeed Bin Muhsin Al Alawi lauded the Indians for their peace-loving nature, intelligence and hardworking ability. The Ambassador of Bahrain to India, Ghassan Shaikho and Indian Ambassador to Bahrain, Balakrishna Shetty, were among others, who participated in the conference.

UNI VST KVV KK PM1914