V K Singh to leave for Saudi Arabia

Visit comes in the wake of food crisis faced by Indian workers laid off by Saudi companies

In the wake of the food crisis facing Indian workers laid off by Saudi companies, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh will leave for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night.

He will reach Jeddah early on August 3 and return to India two days later, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

On Saturday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India was making all efforts to bring back the over 10,000 Indian workers rendered jobless in Saudi Arabia and was providing them food in camps.

She said the companies concerned had shut their factories and left. "We can't leave our workers there... We have asked the foreign office to authorise us to bring them (back) from Saudi Arabia," she said.