Kuwait has a population of 48 million, of which 1 million are Indians; Government wants to exclude 40 percent migrants by enacting legislation

Charu Karthikeya. The Kuwait government is trying to reduce the number of migrant citizens working in the country, a law has been drafted for this. The biggest impact of this law can be on Indian citizens. About one million Indian citizens are living in Kuwait right now.

Although the effect of this law will be on the citizens of all countries working in Kuwait, Indian citizens will be affected the most, as Indians constitute the largest number of migrants. If this law is passed, three to four lakh NRIs may likely have to leave the country.

Kuwait problem

70 percent of the total population of the country is migrant

Gradually, Kuwait has become a migrant-dominated country, attracting large numbers of migrants. Only 30% of the country's 48 million population is Kuwaiti and 70% migrant. But due to economic challenges, anti-migrant sentiments are deepening there, due to which the government had to focus on this problem.

The Kuwait government has set a target to reduce the number of migrants in the population from 70% to 30%. According to media reports, the proposed law talks about reducing the number of overseas Indians in the country's population to 15% of the population.

If this law comes into force then only about seven lakh NRIs will be allowed to stay in Kuwait and at least three to four lakh Indians will have to leave Kuwait.

It is being said in the local media that about eight lakh Indians may have to leave the country. The law has so far received approval from two important committees of the Kuwaiti Parliament and is yet to be approved by another committee.

In 2018, Indians sent 4 billion 80 crore rupees from Kuwait.

Experts consider this a serious concern for India. Millions of Indians work in Kuwait, they send money to their families in India every year, which is useful for India's economy.

According to an estimate, the same amount sent back from Kuwait to India in 2018 was around 4 billion 80 crore rupees. Dr. Zakir Hussain, an expert on the affairs of Central Asia, says that it is not just about money, but the livelihood of the people and the relationship between the two countries.

Hussain says that migrants were evacuated from Kuwait in the same way in the 90s, but at that time citizens of many other countries were expelled and replaced by Indians. It also has a glimpse of the changing politics of the Gulf countries.

According to Hussain, where India's relations with the Gulf countries had become very strong in the last few years. At the same time, there is a deterioration in those relations, otherwise what is the reason that no Gulf countries have yet expressed solidarity with India against the action of the Chinese army on the Indo-China border?

Experts believe that if India still talks to the Kuwait government at the diplomatic level, then the crisis on millions of Indians may be averted, but the Indian government has not yet made any official statement on this subject.