KUWAIT: Another Kuwaiti lawmaker yesterday called on the Kuwaiti government to react to an Indian decision requiring a $2,500 bank guarantee for each domestic worker, saying that some of the measures should include halting recruitment of manpower from the Asian giant. MP Faisal Al-Kandari, the second National Assembly member to criticize the domestic labor guarantee imposed by New Delhi, called on the interior, foreign and social affairs and labor ministries to respond in kind to the demand.
Kandari said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor should consider halting recruitment of manpower from India and issuing work permits in order to “apply pressure on India”. He said that the Interior Ministry should not allow the Indian embassy to violate the rules and regulations in the country. The lawmaker also urged the foreign ministry to cooperate with its counterparts in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to take coordinated action against New Delhi over its financial guarantee decision.
MP Kamel Al-Awadhi had called on the government Saturday to consider reducing the number of Indians in Kuwait, who have reached 720,000, in protest against the decision. Awadhi is the former head of the immigration department. Kandari described the Indian measure as provocative and said it could encourage other countries to follow suit and impose even higher financial requirements on Kuwaiti citizens. Kuwait is home to around 650,000 domestic helpers who frequently complain of physical and sexual abuse, are forced to work many hours with no weekly day off, while some complain of non-payment of salaries.
By B Izzak
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