Smart cards soon for NRI workers
NEW DELHI, April 28 2006
The Overseas Indians Affairs Ministry
has set a September 30 deadline for rolling out smart
cards to Indian workers abroad. The card, which contains
all the relevant information, will save workers from
carrying their passports always with them.
The Ministry has already sent two teams to Malaysia
and the Gulf to have talks with overseas employers and
other stake-holders in this regard. The card will have
the personal details that the passport has, plus the
skills of the worker.
There have been many complaints about the passports
of overseas workers being taken away by employers once
they reach the foreign countries and their subsequently
getting into trouble for being unable to produce the
passports on demand by the authorities.
The card being developed by the National Institute
of Smart Government will cost about Rs 600 and the Ministry
is yet to decide who will foot the bill for the cards.
Such details will be worked out soon. The cards
will help a great deal in addressing the complaints
of workers' passports being taken away by employers,
besides cutting the red tape, Vyalar Ravi, Minister
of Overseas Indians Affairs, told this website's newspaper.
The master server at the Ministry's office in New Delhi
will have the details of all the cards issued and the
same information will be available with the embassies
concerned.
To begin with, cards will be issued to workers going
to the Gulf and South-Eastern countries.
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