MAHATMA GANDHI PRAVASI SURAKSHA YOJANA (MGPSY)

MAHATMA GANDHI PRAVASI SURAKSHA YOJANA (MGPSY)

With the aims and objectives of providing financial relief to overseas Indian workers having Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports, Government of India (Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs) has launched a voluntary social security scheme, called Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojna (MGPSY) in Kerala and UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) on pilot basis. The Scheme is also slated to be launched in Saudi Arabia. The salient features of the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojna (MGPSY) are given below.

 Objective of MGPSY is to encourage and enable the overseas Indian workers by giving government contribution to:

·         Save for their Return and Resettlement (R&R)
·         Save for their old age,
·         Obtain a Life Insurance cover against natural death during the period of coverage.

Eligibility:  overseas Indian workers having Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports in the age group of 18-50 years and have migrated to ECR countries on Employment or Contract visa.
Procedure for Enrolment: Enrolment of eligible volunteers(applicants/participants) will be done by MOIA-appointed Service Providers. On enrolment, an NRE Bank Account will be opened in the name of the participant and linked with the Scheme (MGPSY). The contribution of the participant to the Scheme will be automatically deducted from this account and credited to Scheme.

The government contribution
·         Rs. 1,000 p.a. to those who save between Rs.1,000 and Rs.12,000 per year in NPS-Lite.
·         An additional contribution of Rs. 1,000 is available to women workers. (This contribution is for a period of five years or till the return of subscribed worker back to India, whichever is earlier). 
·         A special government contribution of Rs.900 by MOIA towards Return and Resettlement (R&R) of the overseas Indian workers who save Rs.4,000 or more per annum.
Withdrawals:
·         On Return: Return and settlement Savings.
·         On retirement: A part of the savings will be returned and the balance will be converted into monthly pension.

Role of Consulate General of India: In order to implement the Scheme, Consulate is planning to spread awareness about it amongst the eligible volunteers and for this purpose will soon be organizing awareness visits to the residential camps of potential Saudi employers in the southern and western regions of the Kingdom. Dates and venues of these visits will be intimated well in advance.

The Scheme can also be viewed at MOIA website, http://moia.gov.inby following the link series: