NEW DELHI: Action was taken against 206 recruitment agencies and agents, with a maximum of them in Maharashtra (126), during the last one year for fraudulent activities, parliament was told.

Minister of State for Overseas Indian Affairs and External Affairs Gen. V.K. Singh (retd.) told the Lok Sabha that between Dec 1, 2013 and Nov 30, 2014, action was initiated against a total of 206 recruitment agencies and agents for fraudulent activities.

In the list of nine states, Maharashtra tops the list with the government taking action against 126 agencies and agents there, Delhi came second with 23 and Kerala with 14, according to the list circulated by the minister.

In 2013, a total of 56 registration certificates were issued to recruiting agents/agencies under Emigration Act, 1983, while this year a total of 65 applications have been for the registration certificate so far.

He said that from time to time complaints from emigrants/Indian workers abroad are received.

They include of violation of contractual obligations, pertaining to contracted job, salary and skilled manpower diverted to discharge menial work; furnishing false information relating to foreign employers to whom the emigrants are sent; fraudulently obtaining emigration clearance, by submitting false/ forged documents; providing visit visas to the emigrants instead of employment visa, which lands the emigrants under detention overseas.

Others are for cheating emigrants by promising employment in connivance with the foreign employer; collecting excess service charges, more than the limits prescribed; emigrants being harassed and facing ill-treatment from foreign sponsors; and the agent/agency not paying exit fare for repatriation of the suffering emigrant.

The Emigration Act 1983 and the Emigration Rules 1983 thereof as amended from time to time and executive instructions issued provide mechanism to regulate and monitor recruitment agencies/agents, the minister said, adding the rules had been last revised in 2009.

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