Nitaqat law: 75,000 and still counting

With thousands of Indians set to return from Saudi Arabia due to the 'Nitaqat' law, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid today said state governments have been "forewarned" so that the situation does not become "unmanageable".
Khurshid, who is on his way to Saudi Arabia on an official visit, said the government was in touch with Saudi authorities to fasten the formalities so that the deadline of July 3 given by them could be adhered to.
The 'Nitaqat' programme, which is meant to regularise foreign workers, makes it mandatory for local companies to hire one Saudi national for every 10 migrant workers.

Those who fail to find another job or a sponsor has to go back. As a result of this law, a number of people who were working without valid work permits and runaways have come under the scanner. Once the grace period time till July 3 ends, all those expatriates who are found Saudi Arabia without valid papers will be jailed and heavily penalised.
"In terms of the logistics and the effort involved, it obviously is a challenge," Khurshid said but added that it was not something which could not be met.
"The issue is that we have three months of grace period during which whatever needs to be done has to be done and the numbers are very large.

He said people who come back will have to be rehabilitated.

"We will have to with some efforts, in terms of state governments, to provide them with rehabilitation, quick rehabilitation. Some of them are not as comfortable as people might imagine.
"So I think they will require some hand holding when they get back home. State governments have been forewarned about this that they will have to do some hand holding," he said.
He said state governments have been informed because all these people coming back have to get emergency certificates.
"They can't be given unless the district authorities to which they belong, verify and give us verified information so that emergency certificates can be given.

"We are in touch with the state governments not only to ensure that they are quick in giving us response for verification but also make arrangements for number of people who finally arrive so that it does not develop into an unmanageable issue.