New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs' proposals for nine one-stop centres (OSCs) for Indian women facing distress abroad have been approved by the Empowered Committee of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. These include seven OSCs with provisions for shelter homes in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia (Jeddah and Riyadh), and two OSCs without shelter homes in Toronto and Singapore. The Ministry of External Affairs has allocated a budget line for these nine missions.
 

The Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) has been established in all Indian Missions and Posts abroad to address contingency expenses for on-site welfare activities benefiting overseas Indian citizens on a means-tested basis. The ICWF guidelines were comprehensively revised effective 1 September 2017, significantly expanding the scope of welfare activities for distressed Indian nationals, particularly women.
 

The guidelines now encompass three main areas: assistance to overseas Indian nationals in distress situations (such as boarding and lodging, air passage, legal assistance, emergency medical care, and transportation of mortal remains); community welfare activities; and enhancements in consular services. They also include the establishment of legal panels in countries with substantial Indian diasporas, support for paying fines or penalties for petty crimes to secure prisoners' release, and assistance to distressed Indian women abroad.
 

The ICWF provides support to needy Indian women in distress who have been deserted by their overseas Indian or foreign husbands, offering access to counselling and legal services.
 

This information was shared by the Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur, in Lok Sabha in response to a question today. 


BI Bureau