Overseas Workers Research Centre (OWRC), Migrant Resource Centres (MRC)
India’s formal support for the migrant workers began under the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (now MEA). The Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC) was launched in January 2008 (which was inaugurated on Pravasi Bharatiya Divas) as a 24/7 helpdesk for emigrant workers. This intervention was urgently needed due to the persistent systematic gaps and vulnerabilities in India’s pre-existing emigration framework, which has failed to adequately protect the low-skilled migrant workers and especially those heading to the Gulf Countries. Some of India’s broader emigration governance included the Legacy of Broker-Based Emigration (Pre-2000s), Weakness of the Emigration Act, 1983, and Inadequate Institutional Coordination pre-2000s.
