Govt might push policy for diplomats' domestic help

Domestic help who accompany Indian diplomats abroad in their postings are likely to get the status of a government employee. The coming Narendra Modi government might give a much-needed push to such a proposal.

In the wake of recent controversy over Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade and her housekeeper, Sangeeta Richard, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) was planning to introduce a policy governing - India Based Domestic Assistants (IBDA) - in a shape.

MEA prepared a comprehensive plan, the proposal got stuck in the finance ministry. However, to avoid such an incident in future, the proposal might see the light of the day finally, reliable sources told Business Standard.

At present, under the IBDA policy, domestic help is given quasi-government status that entitles them to a "white passport" similar to diplomats, medical and other minor benefits. But the basic idea behind overhauling the IBDA policy was to empower the Indian government, especially the MEA, to nab those who run away to foreign lands.

After the review they will become contractual government employees and the MEA believes it will become easier to catch them in such cases where they dupe the government and become fugitives.

As a result, MEA was planning to give them a government-employee status so that they could be legally implicated in the event they run away in search of greener pastures. But the fate of the policy hung in balance as the finance ministry had said such a step would incur heavy expenses because once they start enjoying a status of a government employee, they would have to be given benefits and perks commensurate to the post.

A finance ministry official said if the MEA proposal was accepted it would have financial implications and needed to be thought through.

Finance ministry officials also said it was a half-baked proposal that lacked clarity.

"Suppose you give them a three-year contract. Later, they might ask for regular employment," said the official, who did not want to be named.

Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, on her completion of six months in office, had written a letter to all Indian missions in which she categorically stated "the time has also perhaps come to introspect matters relating to IBDAs and domestic help."

The Khobragade case became household talk when the diplomat was arrested and strip-searched in New York in December last year over alleged visa fraud and making false statements about Richard's salary. The incident had a snowballing effect on India-US strategic and diplomatic ties.

Richard was an IBDA and she is still in the US. The MEA has no legal authority to bring her back to the country even though there are legal cases pending against her here.