Bengaluru: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has decided to open a Protector of Emigrants (PoE) office in Bengaluru for people from Karnataka holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports and looking to work in one of the 18 ECR countries.
In a letter dated January 12, 2018 addressed to former MP and member of BJP K. Jayaprakash Hegde, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said: “My Ministry has decided in-principle to open an office of Protector of Emigrants in the State of Karnataka. We are taking up the matter with the State government for working out the modalities.”
The letter comes after Hegde wrote to Swaraj last year in November requesting a PoE office in Karnataka.
At present, prospective employees wanting to work in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Brunei, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon and Thailand can either apply for clearance online or travel all the way to Chennai.
A similar proposal was given by the NRI Forum, Government of Karnataka six months ago. According to Arathi Krishna, Deputy Chairman, NRI Forum, most of these workers are from Uttara Kannada district and are headed for jobs in the Gulf.
