By Sanjeevi Jayasuriya
The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) will introduce a new insurance scheme for the migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon and United Arabian Emirates (UAE). It will commence shortly, said its chairman Susantha Fernando at a press conference last week.

The new insurance scheme is expected to overcome few of the short comings that are already existing in the insurance scheme offered by the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation. The new insurance cover is US Dollars 5,000 in a case of a death. A special feature of this scheme is the additional clause that covers the expense incurring to get back the body which was usually borne by the SLBFE in the past. With the introduction of the new scheme, which is compulsory for future recruits, it is expected that the migrant workers are placed in a better position than earlier, said Fernando. A similar scheme is operative in the Philippines, he said.

The Bureau has also embarked on a housing project in five districts namely Colombo, Kandy, Matara, Kurunegala and Ratnapura. Each district will be given a six-acre land for the construction of 200 houses and the land for this purpose is given free of charge. The total cost of a house will be less than Rs. 500,000 and this scheme will be of a benefit for the migrants who go for foreign employment for the sole purpose of building a house. This will be a non profit venture, Fernando noted.

In addition to the benefit of the free land the migrant worker will have to pay a subsidised interest rate where 50% of the total interest will be borne by the Bureau. Each of the recipient will get a six-perches of land with the house and this pilot project is expected to be completed by the year 2004.

According to the records available with the SLBFE, 1.1 million of Sri Lankans are employed in foreign countries while for the last eight months from January to August 163,000 have secured foreign employment.