The Telangana government was making all arrangements to bring stranded Telugu people in the United States and Europe in special flights as part of Vande Bharat mission, but is paying little attention to the labourers held up in the Gulf countries.
This was pointed out by the All India Congress Committee spokesman Dasoju Sravan. He demanded that the Telangana government bring back stranded gulf labour on free of cost.
Sravan told reporters that the sufferings of Gulf migrant laborers have worsened after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.
There are more than 12-15 Lakhs of workforce from Telangana, including both men and women, in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries. It is estimated that nearly every month Rs.1500 crores worth of foreign exchange gets remitted to Telangana from these Gulf Workforce.
Due to combined shock of collapsing oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic is forcing the Arab Gulf economy to reduce the scope of their business operations. And as a result, many of the labourers are being laid off from their employment. Even if the pandemic subsides, there is likely to be serious business crisis due to fall in in oil prices and labour are likely to lose their jobs, he said.
Most of them do not have access to proper livelihood and even there is no medical care and compelled to live in most hazardous conditions and worried about the spread of Covid-19.
Sravan demanded that in these circumstances, the government of Telangana should coordinate and collaborate with central government and bring back whosoever is desirous to return to India at free of cost.
“It is improper on the part of the government to charge Airfares to return to India as the labour is already in most vulnerable situation without income,” he said.
Sravan also requested Government of Telangana to make sure that after returning to Telangana, these workers should be given 'Return, Resettlement & Rehabilitation' package to help them settle in their native places with dignity and decent quality of life.
