How about the issue of voting rights for NRIs?
Let me tell you that one day at a get-together, one man told me that even though he has an Indian passport, he is not an Indian. When I asked him why, he said that he couldn’t vote in India, and that in itself made him feel like an outsider. That sentence provoked me. I took a decision to resolve the issue. I moved cabinet, got the matter of voting rights passed. Amendments were made to the law. You could say that it is another significant achievement. Now when in India, NRIs or Indian passport holders can vote. We cannot turn it into a postal ballot, because thousands of cases will land up in courtrooms. Now the voting rights accorded to NRIs have made them feel confident about our Ministry. This has been a big helping hand.

What about the recent issues in Saudi Arabia?
The relations between India and Saudi Arabia remain cordial. Indians who were made to return carried wrong documents. But we dealt with the issue in a way that now the Saudi Arabian Government knows that agents can cheat and our expatriates can be stranded without proper papers. The onus is also on them to check this mischief by unscrupulous agents. It is no longer a major issue.

You have signed a large number of social security agreements…
Yes, these are to help our workers who go overseas. They should be aware of the social security measures that have been agreed upon. Their employment terms must fall under the framework of such agreements. If there is a violation and a complaint is made before us, we’ll move through proper channels to ensure that the employer goes by the rules.

One of the issues that was majorly stirred up two years ago related to Indian students in Australia. How is the situation today?
Things are now back to normal. Students are going back to Australian colleges and universities and enrolling for different programmes. Now we have ways and means to protect their interest. At the same time we’ve told the Australian Government that they must check agents who are exploiting the students. Issues related to students are always sensitive, and must be handled carefully.

What is your message for the diaspora?
The message is that they should feel close to India. Here’s a Government, here’s a Ministry that wants them to feel close. At the same time they should go along with the system in the country of their domicile and stay within legal frameworks. When you are legal, you are protected.