New Delhi: The number of Indian prisoners, including under-trials, in foreign prisons, currently stands at 7710, the Government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The information was shared by the Minister of State (MoS), External Affairs V Muraleedharan in a written reply.
According to statistics provided by the MoS, the highest number of such prisoners are currently in UAE (1535), followed by Saudi Arabia (1167), Nepal (1134), Pakistan (585), and Qatar (485). "Given the large number of Indian youth who go abroad for work, the Government is aware that some of them may face such problems due to lack of familiarity with the rules and regulations of that country or due to some other reasons," stated Muraleedharan.
"Indian Missions and Posts advise Indians living abroad to register themselves with their Consular and Community Welfare Sections. Missions and Posts also widely disseminate salient information on various issues, including information related to the host countries, through the website, social media, etc. with a view to enhance the awareness of Indian nationals abroad," he added.
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The MoS also said that to enhance the awareness of the Indians intending to work in Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries, the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is running a program called PreDeparture Orientation Training (PDOT) program.
"The aim of the PDOT programs is to enhance the soft skills of our migrant workers in terms of culture, language, tradition, local rules and regulations of the destination country, to sensitize migrant workers about pathways to safe and legal migration and various government programs for their welfare and protection such as Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY), eMigrate Portal, MADAD Portal, Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendras (PBSKs),24x7 helpline at Indian Embassies and Consulates, etc," stated Muraleedharan.
The Union Minister said that as of June 30, 2022, 1,15,056 workers have been trained." The first online Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) Programme for migrant workers was launched in April 2021. At present there are 32 PDOT Centres imparting training across the country," he added.
