Centre to keep personal records of students going abroad

Call it the Down Under effect or late realisation. In the wake of the attacks on Indians in Australia,the Government is moving ahead....

Call it the Down Under effect or late realisation. In the wake of the attacks on Indians in Australia,the Government is moving ahead to put in place a registration system for students going abroad from now on to keep a record overseas of their whereabouts.

The Government is thinking of giving incentives to students who get themselves registered voluntarily,as the Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry,which is giving finishing touches to the plan,is undecided on whether to make the registration process mandatory. One of the incentives being thought of is subsidising a portion of the students hefty insurance bills in lieu of getting them to register. The idea is to safeguard the interests of students. We will in no way restrict their academic plans. We are for mobility, a senior ministry official told The Indian Express.

The need for keeping personal records of lakhs of Indians studying abroad was felt after the spate of attacks in Australia. While the Government knows how many Indian students are residing in Australia,it neither had their personal records nor a clue about their whereabouts in that country. Similar is the case with all Indians studying abroad.

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While the attacks were on,the Ministry of External Affairs got in touch with the HRD Ministry,seeking the whereabouts of Indian students abroad,under the assumption that it would have maintained a record. But HRD officials told their MEA counterparts that they only maintain records of students who have gone abroad on exchange programmes.

The proposed registration system will be online to ensure that the process is hassle-free. The records of students will be circulated to Indian missions so that they can easily identify the person at times of distress and provide assistance without delay.

Besides,the ministry is planning to take action against agents and middlemen who exploit students by giving them false information about possibilities of earning and working while studying.

Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi has already talked about plans to streamline campus placements to foreign universities.

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Interestingly,the attacks in Australia have also brought out the competition between the Ministries of Overseas Indian Affairs and External Affairs. While the MEA came out with a list of guidelines for students planning to go Australia,the Overseas Ministry is saying that it will give pre-departure tips for students going to all countries.

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