PANAJI
Every year, a significant number of Goans migrate to the UK, US, Australia, Canada and several countries in the Gulf. However, there is no system in place to maintain a record of such people who leave the state.
Explaining the reason for this, U D Kamat, officer on special duty, NRI Commission, said, "It's not mandatory for people to intimate us when they leave Goa to other countries. This is the reason why we don't maintain any information. There are associations of Goan origin people in countries like Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, etc. But, such associations are not willing to share this data with us."
Kamat further said, "The NRI Commission often receives complaints from Goans living in other countries regarding non-payment of salaries, employer abuse, etc. In such cases, we step in to ensure that Goans get fair treatment. But, there is no system to determine the exact number of Goans migrating to other nations."
"The only data that we maintain is based on the Goa cards that have been issued to 685 Goans who are living abroad. These are people of Goan origin who either have Indian citizenship or have opted for foreign citizenship. They return to the state every year during festivals like Diwali and Christmas. At times, they have to waste a lot of time in obtaining approvals from government departments. With the help of this Goa card, they can get quick assistance," he continued.
