Hyderabad: The state govt has constituted a non-resident India (NRI) advisory committee to address the challenges faced by migrant workers from Telangana, especially in the Gulf countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Based on the recommendations of the committee, the govt plans to formulate a comprehensive policy for the welfare of migrant workers
Former IFS officer BM Vinod Kumar will be the chairman and Mandha Bheem Reddy will be the vice chairman, according to a GO issued on April 10. Prominent committee members include MLAs Aadi Srinivas, Medipally Satyam, R Bhupati Reddy, former MLC T Jeevan Reddy and E Anil Kumar, chairman of Telangana Mineral Development Corporation.
The move is part of chief minister A Revanth Reddy’s initiative to provide a platform to look into issues faced by such workers. Apart from this, so far during financial year 2024-25, a total of Rs 8.45 crore was transferred to families of 169 workers who died abroad, according to Anil Kumar. Giving ex gratia (Rs 5 lakh each) to the families, irrespective of the cause of the death of workers, was a promise made by the Congress before it came to power in 2023.
The first to receive the ex gratia was the family of Puli Anjaiah of Karimnagar, who died in Saudi Arabia. His wife Puli Veeramma received the amount on Nov 29, 2024.
Families who lost their loved ones abroad said that they were suddenly left to fend for themselves.
For 34-year-old Makuri Yamuna, the death of her husband, Makuri Vinod, came as a shock on July 18, 2024. Vinod had been working in Bahrain for 10 years.
“There was a mishap during pipeline fitting, and some workers who could hear the siren rushed back to safety. My husband died on the spot when the building material fell on his head,” Yamuna said
Yamuna, who has twins, a boy and girl, aged 7, said: “I am thankful to the CM for the financial help. The amount remains in the bank as fixed deposit, and I do not want to withdraw it. It will be of great help to me if I am given a job, as I have to take care of my two children.”
As of now, she ekes out a living by cleaning the police station.
In another case, when Matta Pedda Narasaiah of Fathepur of Armoor died suddenly in Dubai in June 2024 from a brain stroke, he left his wife Sunitha alone to take care of their three children. The 50-year-old had worked in Dubai for the last 25 years as a driver. His cousin Aruna told TOI that currently Sunitha earns her livelihood by making beedis. The financial assistance was deposited into her account by the govt, he said.
