New Delhi, June 12: In the wake of the Kuwait fire tragedy, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday called on the government to draft a bill in consultation with all the stakeholders to ensure decent conditions of work and security for the Indian migrant workers. A massive fire engulfed a multi-storey building in Kuwait housing foreign workers, mostly Indians, early on Wednesday, killing at least 49 people and injuring more than 50 others, according to officials. Kuwait Building Fire: PM Narendra Modi Calls Mishap Saddening, Assures Full Support to Victims

Most deaths were due to smoke inhalation while the residents were sleeping. A significant number of occupants were evacuated, they added. Tharoor said the tragedy is a reminder of the terrible privations Indian migrant workers undergo in their efforts to support their families at home. "More than five years ago when I chaired the parliamentary standing committee on External Affairs, I requested the Government to prepare an updated Emigration Bill to ensure decent conditions of work and security for our migrant workers. I am shocked that five years later there is still no Bill," the former minister of state for external affairs said in a post on X. Kuwait Building Fire: Indians Among 41 Killed in Apartment Blaze, Indian Embassy Issues Helpline Number (Watch Videos)

He urged the government to address this issue at the earliest and draft a "serious bill" in consultation with all stakeholders. "When Indian workers are sent abroad, they must have contractual assurances of decent conditions of life, work, pay & residence before they leave our shores," Tharoor said. Earlier, in another post, he said, "Horrified and deeply saddened by the news of a fire in a building housing Indian migrant workers in southern Kuwait earlier today, killing 40 Indians and injuring dozens more." "My profound condolences to the families of the victims. Om Shanti," Tharoor said.

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