V K Singh reaches Jeddah to bring back stranded Indian workers
JEDDAH: Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh has reached Jeddah this morning to assess the situation and finalise modalities to bring back the Indian workers in Saudi Arabia who want to return home. Ahead of General Singh’s visit, the Indian embassy there has launched an initiative to collect details of the Indians laid off by their employers.
Currently 7,700 affected Indian workers are living in 20 camps and the embassy is in the process of collecting information about such others. Thousands of Indian workers have lost their jobs due to slowdown in Saudi economy, triggered by low oil prices and cut in government expenditure. The Indian mission has also provided food to the affected Indians.
Earlier, making a statement in Parliament, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said the workers will be brought back home, asserting that not one of them will go hungry. She said, the government is in touch with the foreign and labour offices in Saudi Arabia to ensure early evacuation of the affected workers.
