India 'working towards' return of Covid-hit workers to UAE

The Government of India is “actively working towards” the return of its Covid-19-affected workers to the UAE and Bahrain, news agency ANI cited sources as saying. These workers had lost their jobs because of the pandemic and had to be repatriated earlier this year.

The Consulate General of India in Dubai had said in August that 500,000 Indians had registered for repatriation.

Last week, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar was in the UAE to discuss the advancement of strategic cooperation between the two countries.

ANI quoted sources as saying that Jaishankar’s ministry aimed to facilitate the early return of Indians who came back from the Gulf; help retain those already there; build on India’s reputation of reliability to increase trade; and take the strategic cooperation to a higher level.