Indian official in Saudi Arabia to help starving workers

India has sent one of its deputy foreign ministers to Saudi Arabia to help thousands of Indian workers who have been left to starve in the kingdom.

According to Indian Foreign Ministry, Vijay Kumar Singh, who left New Delhi for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, would try to bring back the workers after they lost their jobs, leaving them with no money to return home, local media reported.

Authorities have not given any figure on how many people would be repatriated.

On Saturday, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swara said more than 10,000 Indians in the Arab state were facing a “food crisis.”

She appealed to an estimated three million Indians living in Saudi Arabia who are better off than the dying workers for help to alleviate the economic hardship.

“Large number of Indians has [sic] lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The employers have not paid wages, closed down their factories,” she tweeted.

Riyadh claims that its foreign labor inspectors investigate all complaints against companies and employers who are unfair to their employees.

The Indian Consulate General in Jeddah said on its official Twitter feed on Saturday that it had distributed thousands of kilograms of food over the past days to help the starving workers.

The hardships faced by Indian migrants come amid rising protests about working conditions in Saudi Arabia, which is grappling with worsening economic problems.

Hundreds of foreign workers at construction firm Saudi Oger reportedly staged a protest rally in Jeddah at the weekend to demand seven months of unpaid wages. They were dispersed by police after disrupting traffic.

Meanwhile, activists and officials said Tuesday that thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia following a sharp drop in the price of crude.

SS