TCN News
A month after the Supreme Court had heard a petition by MP M K Raghavan on the evacuation of expat Indian labourers stranded in GCC (Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) countries due to ban on international travel for COVID-19, the country has started its evacuation mission through Vande Bharat special flights by Air India.
Chairman OMA Salam of Popular Front of India has highlighted the plight of Indian labourers in such vulnerable times and asked the central and state governments “to bring back poor migrant Indian labourers stranded in foreign countries free of cost.”
While an appalling migrant labourers condition prevails in India with thousands walking miles towards their homes in absence of transport, Salam has voiced his support for 9 million Indians workers in GCC countries (https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—asia/—ro-bangkok/—sro-new_delhi/documents/publication/wcms_631532.pdf), most of whom are employed in low-skilled jobs at low wages. It should be noted that Indian migrant labourers working abroad are particularly troubled in a pandemic situation not just due to loss of jobs but a variety of factors like language barriers, poor living conditions, inability to access expensive public health facilities and so on.
Popular Front’s Salam in the official statement, has sought government attention to the fact that the already low-waged migrant workers haven’t been able to work for the last two months due to a global lockdown in view of the Coronavirus outbreak and now “their only hope is the evacuation mission of Indian government.” They would have to pay for their flight and subsequent quarantine stay back home, therefore in such a scenario “government decision to charge them indiscriminately will be a huge burden on them,” he stated.
Popular Front has further directed concerns towards reports that thousands of Indian migrant workers have given up their plans to fly back home on Vande Bharat special flights being operated by Air India “because they cannot bear expenses for their travel and also pay for their 14-day quarantine on their return.” In the press note hence, Salam professed exemption of travel fare for these migrants. He noted that it is fortunate that philanthropic individuals and organizations have been expressing their willingness to help evacuation process but “a well-coordinated effort from both individuals and government can do a lot.”
Salam also suggested the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) that collected for such evacuations in the past “should be used for the travel and quarantine expenses of poor expats workers.” On behalf of the Popular Front that is uniquely fighting for minority rights through its online counter of hate propaganda, Salam has demanded that “central and state governments should take steps to meet the necessities of expat citizens who are unable to afford their travel expenses” and bear the cost of travel and isolation for the expat migrant workers.