Few from Andhra Pradesh seek to authenticate ID

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Hyderabad: Contrary to initial fears, the irregular migrant workers from the state working in Saudi Arabia are few going by the number of requests made to the government to authenticate their credentials.
 
Authentication from the state government is a must for the Indian embassy to issue exit visas to the irregular migrant workers who do not possess documents such as a passport. The government makes inquiries with the district administration, verifies the bonafides of the workers, and communicates the same to the embassy.
 
According to special secretary, GAD, N.V. Ramana Reddy, of the 21,000 migrant workers from the state facing the axe because of the new Nitaqat legislation in Saudi Arabia, only 360 workers applied for authentication. 
 
The government has dispatched authentication certificates to 300 people and chief secretary Dr P.K. Mohanty, who is monitoring the progress of obtaining reports from the district collectors on a day-to-day basis, has asked the overseas department to speed up the process. 
 
Expatriates without valid work permits had to leave the country by July 3, but the deadline has been extended by four months. “Unlike in Dubai, where there were large numbers of illegal migrant workers, the issue of work permits is regulated in Saudi,” an official source said. 
 
He also said “there is a ray of hope for thousands of workers who otherwise have to leave.” The new law makes it mandatory for local firms to hire a certain number of local employees thus making migrants superfluous. 
 
According to information reaching here, many regular workers are being accommodated in establishments that can still hire foreigners within the parameters of the Nitaqat law. The Saudi government has also given a one month grace period for workers who have been already issued exit visas.
 
The number of people returning will be clear after these inter-company adjustments, sources added. State overseas affairs minister D. Sridhar Babu has announced that the State government will bring back workers compelled to leave and will help them start life afresh here.