The ‘Indian Community Welfare Fund’ has been set up by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs to provide necessary “on-site” welfare services to Indians in difficulty.

Replying to a query, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi told Lok Sabha that the fund would be basically utilised for extending services like food, shelter, medical facilities and return air tickets to stranded and destitute Indians.

The fund has been set up in all Gulf Countries as well as several countries in Europe and Oceania frequented by the Indians. It has been made available in the US, UK, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, Maldives, Singapore, Philippines, Portugal, Fiji, Afghanistan, Mauritius and South Africa also.

Ravi said the fund has been created through budgetary support of the Government, levying a nominal fee on consular services and voluntary contributions from the Indian community in the respective countries.

The minister said the fund could be utilised by the missions for transportation of mortal remains of Indian nationals in “exceptional cases”.

He also said 199 Indian workers were awaiting repatriation in Qatar and one in Malaysia. “No data is available in respect of other countries,” Ravi said when asked about the number of stranded workers requiring immediate rehabilitation in various foreign countries.

Replying to a separate question, Ravi said the number of workers emigrating to foreign countries under the Emigration Check Required (ECR) categories declined in 2009.

The minister said 6.10 lakh workers emigrated to the ECR countries in 2009 while the number was 8.48 lakh in 2008. In 2007, 8.09 lakh Indians had gone to these countries. He said a total of 2.93 lakh workers under the category have gone out of the country up to June 30 this year.

“The decline in the number of emigrant workers during the year 2009 may be attributed to the global economic slowdown during 2008-09,” he said.

As per the Emigration Act 1983, Emigration Check Required (ECR) categories of Indian passport holders need to obtain “Emigration Clearance” from the office of Protector of Emigrants (POE).

As per the rules, ECR clearance is mandatory for undergraduates seeking overseas employment in 18 countries which include United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Brunei, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon and Thailand.