And so, she ‘failed’ to subscribe to the Pravasi Bharatiya Bhima Yojana (PBBY) insurance
scheme provided by the Indian government, which isn’t mandatory for non-ECR category
migrants.
If she had, then she could have been eligible for compensation.
“I wasn’t told about such an insurance scheme. If somebody had told me, then I would have
subscribed to it. It would have helped me as my employer also didn’t pay me any money,”
Anitha added.
Anitha looked for legal options to fight a case in UAE. But a few social workers advised her
that she has to be present in the UAE to fight the case, which didn’t happen following the
COVID-19 outbreak, and the employer had canceled her visa ‘cunningly.’
“When I was in the hospital, he came to pay me my pending salary. He got some papers
signed. He was telling me that it was required to process the accident claims. But now I
realize that it was my visa cancellation papers,” Anitha, who had a valid visa till 2021 January,
said.
Anitha’s monthly salary was around 2200 AED (600 USD). Her employer pays 1,000 AED (272
USD) through the bank to follow the wage protection system before month-end and the rest
as cash in hand by the second week of every month.
Now, through the Centre for Indian Migrant Studies (CIMS), a migrant rights CSO based in
Kerala, South India, Anitha has moved to file a case in UAE using the power of attorney
options to get accident compensation.
“I have a loan of around 7,000 USD. My husband had passed away long back. I have only one
daughter. I had taken the loan to marry off her. I have to buy medicines and buy food too. I
am not in a position to go to work. I deserve compensation. The accident didn’t happen due
to my fault…,” she said adding that none from the Indian embassy reached out to her when
she was in the hospital and repatriated on a wheelchair.
“I will fight for compensation, which I am eligible for” she concluded.
(The writer is an independent migrant’s rights researcher and journalist who contributes to
MFA)