Facing penury in Kuwait, Ludhiana youths seek help for return

Ludhiana: Many Ludhiana youths, who like hundreds of others from Punjab had gone to Kuwait for work but have not been paid by their companies for the past several months, have requested the authorities back home to help them return to India.
In a video uploaded by a group of youths in the social media, they said of the many Punjab youths stuck in Kuwait, six to seven in their company are from Ludhiana district, including from Bhattian and Noorpur villages of Machhiwara area.
Manpreet Singh, a youth from Bhattian village, said he, along with many youths from the state, works as drivers with a company in Al Farwaniyah town of Kuwait. He said since the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, the company’s operations have come to a halt and they have not been paid for the last several months.
In the video message, he said the company is neither returning their passports nor sending them back, and added that same is the condition of many other youths working in various other companies there, who want to return to India, but are unable to.
Another youth from the district said as they have not been paid since long, they have no money left and they are barely managing their food. He said they should be either paid or sent back to India.
Another worker in the video message said they are facing penury and “not getting even tea”, leave aside any kind medical facilities.
Manpreet Singh said they have also tried approaching the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, but to no avail. He requested the political leaders of the state, including chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and AAP state chief Bhagwant Mann and social worker S P Singh Oberai, to take steps to bring the Punjabi youths stuck in Kuwait back to India immediately.