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TRI Continental Film Festival - Dona Paula, Goa, Sep 28 - Oct 2, 2007 http://www.moviesgoa.org/tricontinental/tricon.htm For public viewing Registration at The International Centre Goa Ph: +91 (832) 2452805 to 10 Online Media Partner: http://www.GOANET.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Emigration Act to be amended THE HINDU: Tuesday, Sep 11, 2007 Special Correspondent NEW DELHI: The government is planning to amend the Emigration Act to protect the interests of 50-lakh overseas Indian workers, most of them semi-skilled and from poor rural backgrounds, and, therefore, prone to exploitation. The proposed changes, to be shortly put up before the Cabinet, would include giving Indian missions a statutory role in the protection and welfare of workers. The amendments to the Act would also provide for stringent action against those involved in human smuggling, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) Vayalar Ravi told heads of missions of some countries which have a high count of overseas Indian workers, here on Monday. The Minister pointed out that the emigration clearance required (ECR) suspension system for those travelling on visit visas would be scrapped from October 1. This would benefit about nearly six-lakh international travellers from India resulting in a saving of about Rs. 100 crores. This step would be followed by the setting up of a Council for Promotion of Overseas Employment (CPOE) to function as a think tank for conducting international labour market research and devising strategies for enabling Indian workers to avail themselves of job opportunities abroad. Awareness campaign Measures have been taken for the protection and welfare of Household Service Workers (HSWs), which require follow-up action by Indian missions. The MOIA has planned a nation-wide awareness campaign to educate potential emigrants about the dangers of illegal or irregular migration through unscrupulous agents. The Ministry has signed MoUs with the Government of UAE and Kuwait for the protection and welfare of Indian workers. Similar MoUs would be signed with Malaysia, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen. The Minister appreciated the contribution of Indian missions in protecting the rights of emigrants and addressing their problems. The annual conference of heads of Indian missions of countries with sizeable number of Indian overseas workers is meant to share experiences, assess the labour situation in host countries and understand the difficulties faced by overseas workers. They hail mostly from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab. http://inwww.rediff.com/newshound/ke.html Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com