The Union Cabinet yesterday (23 January) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kuwait to promote cooperation on the protection of Indian domestic workers in the Gulf country.

“The MoU provides a structured framework for cooperation on domestic workers related matters and provides strengthened safeguards for Indian domestic workers including female workers deployed in Kuwait. The MoU is initially valid for a period of five years and incorporates provision for automatic renewal,” a government release noted.

A Joint Committee consisting of representatives of both the countries will be formed to guide the implementation of the MoU. “Around 3,00,000 Indian domestic workers deployed in Kuwait. This includes around 90,000 female domestic workers,” added the release.

Friendly Relations

As per latest data, over eight lakh Indian nationals are legal residents in Kuwait. Over the years, it has also been a reliable partner in India’s energy security and is the ninth largest crude oil supplier, meeting 4.6 per cent of India's energy requirements.

“Historically, Indo-Kuwait relations have always had an important trade dimension. India has consistently been among the top ten trading partners of Kuwait. Total bilateral trade with Kuwait during 2015-16 was US$ 6.2 billion,” a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement in 2016 noted.

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