EMERGENCY REPATRIATION FUND PLANNED BY GOA February 12, 2010 [Dept of Info, Govt of Goa] The Commissioner for NRI Affairs, Shri Eduardo Faleiro has said that some cases of great hardship suffered by Goan workers abroad have come to his notice and to provide for deserving cases of great distress it has been decided to create an Emergency Repatriation Fund to meet the expenses when it is proved that the party or the next of kin are not in a financial position to do so.
He said, sometimes these workers are cheated by recruiting agents or denied wages by unscrupulous employers and then get stranded or land in jail. There are also cases of Goan workers who meet with serious accidents and have to be rushed back to India for medical treatment. In some other cases the bodies of those who die abroad cannot be brought back to India when the sponsors refuse to meet the expenses of the transportation of the body. Commissioner for NRI Affiars, Eduardo Faleiro has said that there are no reports of any Goans having been physically attacked in recent times in Australia. This he said is, however, no reason for complacency. The Goan associations have done a commendable work in support of Goan students. For instance, the Goan Association in Sydney provides first year of membership free to Goan students and entry to events is subsidized. This induces Goan students to network with fellow Goans and seek guidance and support whenever required. Several Goans who migrated to Australia recently have in different ways received support from Goan associations. Goan students should contact the Goan Associations in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth on arrival. They should also contact through e-mail or a letter, the Indian High Commission or Indian Consulate and provide details such as their name and address, the name of the university or other educational institution where they are studying, details of the course they are joining and the duration of their intended stay in Australia. Mr Faleiro was addressing a press conference in the wake of recent reports of incidents against Indians particularly students residing in Australia. Mr Faleiro said that he sought information from our Ministry of External Affairs as well as from the Goan Associations in that country. Faleiro said that the main concentration of Indian students is in Melbourne and Sydney. Many fast food restaurants, convenience stores and super markets have engaged Indian students mainly because they have got language skills and a good business acumen. Taxi drivers in the city are also mainly Indian students. Often students work in late night shifts (after college hours) and are exposed to the late night dangers of big cities. Indian taxi drivers are a prime target of attack as they drive the late shifts and they are more likely to meet riff raff, drug addicts and drunkards as potential customers. The Australian Government and the ever increasing number of money making immigration agencies and recruiting colleges do not appear to have given much thought to the welfare of foreign students in that country. Their focus has been on the monetary benefits amounting to about 15 billion Australian dollars which they get by having Indian and other foreign students. There are, however, exceptions such as the authorities in Sydney. The police, community leaders and the Indian Consul General in Sydney have done a commendable job of communication and constructive dialogue and diplomacy to calm down and smoothen the situation for the better. Whilst Australia is by and large free of crime, there are, as everywhere else, criminal elements specially in urban areas. In Melbourne, particularly, casual violence on the street is on the increase. The Ministry of External Affairs has issued detailed guidelines for Indian students wishing to study in Australia. The guidelines are available at http://www.hcindia-au.org The Ministry has also issued an Advisory for Indian students studying in Australia which is also available at http://www.netindia.in This Office of NRI Commissioner had last November held an essay competition for students who are doing their undergraduate or postgraduate studies. The subject was Socio Economic Impact of Goan Migration. A panel of judges was appointed to evaluate the results. The panel consisted of Prof. M.S. Kamat as Chairman and Prof. Bhaskar Naik and Prof Edward D'Lima as members. The first second and third prizes were bagged by Master Joshua Silveira, Miss Veronica Coutinho and Miss Anthia Sequeira. The winners were presented with the certificates on the occasion. DI/NB/MP/SM/JA/2010/ -- DIRECTORATE OF INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY. THIRD FLOOR,UDYOG BHAVAN, NEAR AZAD MAIDAN, PANAJI GOA PHONE-0832-2422675 0832-2226047 0832-2426168 FAX 0832-2224211