Foreign Secy Shringla interacts with beneficiaries of Indian emigrant welfare initiatives

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, on Monday, engaged in conversations with beneficiaries of two major emigrant welfare initiatives by the Indian government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed via Twitter. 

The two welfare initiatives included Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) and Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana (PBBY), Bagchi added in his Twitter post, informing that PDOT has played an important role in protecting the interests of Indian workers migrating to foreign countries, while the PBBY has provided them and their families a financial safety net.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Foreign Secretary Shringla also reviewed operations of the regional passport offices- Videsh Bhavan, Mumbai and ICCR. Additionally, he also held discussions with the officials on citizen-friendly service delivery efforts. "Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla reviewed operations of @rpomumbai  @poemumbai & @iccr_hq in Mumbai and held discussions with the officials on citizen-friendly service delivery efforts, (sic)" Bagchi tweeted.

What are PDOT and PBBY?

Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) is an assistance exercise for potential migrant workers. It is an initiative undertaken by the government of India to orient emigrant workers with regard to language, culture, to do's and don'ts in the destination country. The PDOT program is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in collaboration with NSDC, MEA said in a statement. The beneficiaries of the program are trained by 68 qualified mentors who have undergone the Training of Trainer (TOT) programme. PDOT is operational since 2017 in nine centres across seven cities in India, including Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Gorakhpur and Chennai.

Similarly, the Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) is also aimed at safeguarding the interests of Indian emigrant workers, especially those falling under the Emigration Check Required (ECR) category. The welfare scheme was launched in 2003, and later amended in 2006, 2008, and 2017. The scheme provides an insurance cover worth Rs.10 lakh in case of accidental death/ permanent disability to emigrant workers abroad and/or nominees at a premium of Rs. 276 and Rs. 375 for a period of two and three years, respectively. It also provides maternity expenses to women emigrant beneficiaries.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: @MEA/Twitter)