A ban on the recruitment of Indian labourers into Kuwait may be implemented by authorities as the high-level diplomatic meeting failed to resolve the dispute over an Indian decision to impose a $2,500 (KD730) bank guarantee for Indian domestic helpers working overseas.
A meeting was took place between Indian ambassador to Kuwait Sunil Jain and officials from the foreign and interior ministries including Assistant undersecretary for passports and residency Maj Gen Mazen Al-Jarrah, during which the issue was discussed at length.
Maj Gen Mazen Al-Jarrah repeatedly blasted the decision and threatened to impose a ban on Indians. Kuwaiti MPs have also strongly criticized the Indian decision and called on the government to halt the recruitment of workers from New Delhi in protest against the decision. Indian embassy has repeatedly explained that the bank guarantee is a decision taken by the Indian government in 2007 and has been applied in several countries including all other Gulf states. The embassy added that the bank guarantee will be terminated immediately once the work contract between the employer and domestic helper ends. The bank guarantee will be returned to the sponsor once he/she fulfils his/her contractual obligations. Only in rare cases of non-payment of dues etc., the bank guarantee will be used to settle the dues.
According to sources, immigration departments could start the ban on Indians from today or from next week unless a compromise is reached.
Read more at http://www.indiansinkuwait.com/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=32428&SECTION=0#ixzz3LZ9Y2jlr
