Indians ruling Gulf workforce

"Indian technicians, nurses, teachers and other professionals handle almost the entire services sector in the Gulf. Around 70% are engaged in semi-skilled and un-skilled work; while 20-30% comprises professionals and other white collared workers," Ranjana Kale, Economic Advisor, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), Govt. of India. Speaking as Guest of honour in the inauguration of a two-day International conference on 'Development or Distress: 21st Century Indian Immigrants in the Persian Gulf' at University of Hyderabad on Monday, she said migration from India mainly took place from the states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Goa, Delhi and Gujarat. According to Prof S Irudaya Rajan, Chair Professor, Research Unit on International Migration, MOIA, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, Indian migration to the Persian Gulf started as early as 1930s after oil was discovered in the region, it was in the early 1970s that the large scale migration took place as a result of the price hike of oil and the consequent earnings of large revenues accelerated the process of industrialization. The speakers explained the plight of the migrants and the severe hardships they meted out. The conference was chaired by the Prof. Aloka Parasher Sen, Dean, School of Social Sciences, UoH, Dr. Ajaya K Sahoo, Conference Coordinator gave introduction, Prof. E Haribabu, Pro Vice-Chancellor, UoH was the chief guest. The main purpose of this two days conference is to bring together scholars from India as well as from overseas to a common platform to discuss and debate on issues like contemporary patterns of Indian immigration to the Persian Gulf, human trafficking, gender and gulf immigration etc. Centre for the Study of Indian Diaspora (CSID), School of Social Sciences, UoH organised the conference.