New bill may force Indians to leave the Gulf Country

Special Desk

The new draft expat bill is likely to force 8 lakh Indians to leave the Gulf Country. According to the news, the National Assembly’s legal and legislative committee of Kuwait has determined that the draft expat quota bill is constitutional, thus, it has passed the expat bill which includes that the number of other residents in Kuwait will not exceed 10 percent of the Kuwait total population.

The whole world is facing economic crises, and this bill may hit Indians. Acceptance of this bill means to a force of 7-8 million Indians to leave the Gulf Country. The bill is to be transferred to the respective committee so that a comprehensive plan is created.

As per the reports, this decision could result in 800,000 Indians leaving Kuwait, as the Indian community constitutes the largest expat community in Kuwait, totaling 1.45 million’. Out of the 4.3 million population of Kuwait, expats account for 3 million.

The bill is passed for reducing the number of Egyptians, who form the second largest expatriate community, to 10% of Kuwait’s total population. Kuwait is also a top source of remittances for India. In 2018, India received close to $4.8 billion from Kuwait as remittances.

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With its citizens turning into a minority, Kuwait has been working to reduce its dependence on foreign workers. The bill is seen as a manifestation of the fact that Kuwait no longer wants to remain an expat-majority nation.

Indian officials have told that the Indian embassy was closely following developments related to the proposed legislation. India has so far not made any statement on the concerned issue.

India has often in the past played up the role of the Indian community in Kuwait as an important factor in bilateral ties.