Deal between India and Oman
Indian companies that invest in Oman will be able to hire Indian employees even above the local hiring conditions of the Omani government under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). This information was given by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries has come into effect from June 1.
He said that we hope that the investment of Indian companies in Oman will increase. Indian goods can be exported there, they can be processed and sent to other markets also. Keeping this in mind, Oman has agreed that in the investments made by Indian companies, Indian employees will be given priority in other positions except for the mandatory jobs fixed for Omani citizens. Under Oman’s “Omanization” policy, private sector companies are required to employ a certain number of Omani citizens. Different quotas are fixed for this in different sectors and there are changes in it from time to time.
Protection of interests of Indian employees
Piyush Goyal said that for the first time we have received such a binding assurance, in which the interests of Indian employees in non-service sectors have been protected, provided the Indian stake in the company is in majority. When he was asked whether this agreement could become a model for future trade agreements with GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries, he said that it would definitely make negotiations with GCC easier.
He said that every agreement has its own importance. But the circumstances of many GCC countries are similar, so I think this will help in speeding up the dialogue with the GCC. Goyal also said that Oman has promised to lift the decades-old ban on export of unpolished marble blocks. He said that with this, artisans of Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh will be able to directly get raw marble from Oman. Apart from this, both the countries have also agreed to pursue mutual recognition of Halal certification.
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