5000 Indians arrive in Bahrain every month

Dubai, Jul 5 (UNI) A record number of Indians are working in Bahrain with about 5000 people from the country arriving there every month to take up jobs, official figures have revealed.

The population of Indians in Bahrain has reached a record 2,90,000, which is an all time high in the country of only 7,53,000, Indian Ambassador Balakrishna Shetty said at the embassy's open house.

According to the latest figures, nearly 40 per cent of Bahrain's population are Indian expatriates despite the efforts of the GCC nation to keep a demographic balance.

''A few years ago we had around 1,40,000 people,'' the Gulf Daily News quoted him as saying.

''The increase has been substantial and is a reflection of the faith, capacity and discipline of Indian workers.'' In fact the influx of Indians may have got a shot in the arm as Bahrain has stopped recruiting Bangladeshis who are accused of fomenting crime.

Although, around 8,000 Indians left Bahrain during the government's amnesty for expatriate workers, which ended on January 31, another 22,000 regularised their visas and stayed, he said.

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