New Delhi: Kuwait expat quota bill may affect three lakh workers from Telangana and Andhra states. Most of them are employed in the construction industry.
Once the bill becomes act, they may be forced to leave the country.
What is Kuwait expat quota bill?
After it becomes act, it will impose cap on the expats working in Kuwait.
The draft bill states that the number of Indians and Egyptians working in Kuwait should not exceed 15 and 10 percent of the Middle East country’s population respectively. It has also imposed caps on the number of expats from other countries.
Currently, the population of Kuwait is 4.3 million and out of it, only 1.3 million are Kuwaitis and rest are expatriates.
It is claimed that the main intention behind the bill is to reduce demographic imbalance as Kuwaitis have become a minority in their own country.
Kuwait expat quota bill: Impact on Indian expats
After the enactment of the law, around eight lakh of over 9 lakh Indian expats will be forced to leave Kuwait.
There are also suggestions to replace all expats with Kuwaitis in government offices.
It will have an enormous impact on Indian remittance. In 2018, India received around $4.8 billion from Kuwait in the form of remittances.
Expats from TS, AP
Out of these eight lakh Indian expats working in Kuwait, three lakhs are from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The states that are already struggling to fight against coronavirus pandemic may witness a rise in the unemployment rate after these workers return from Kuwait.