Devyani Khobragade case impact: Junior diplomats in US can’t hire maids from India

NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs is learnt to have issued a directive that will allow only ambassadors, consul-generals and their deputies in America to employ India-based domestic assistance (IBDA). The measure follows the Devyani Khobragade episode, which saw the diplomat's domestic help alleging underpayment of salary.
Khobragade, former Indian deputy consul in the US, was arrested and strip-searched in the US last December on allegations of visa fraud and under payment to her domestic help.Junior diplomats currently posted in US or going there will be disallowed from employing IBDA, government sources told ET. The directive could be extended to Indian diplomats posted in western Europe.
However, it is not yet clear whether they would be any hike in perks for junior diplomats to employ local help in the US, the cost of which is higher than in South and Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. As many as 14 IBDAs were present in the US when Washington and New Delhi held hard negotiations last December and this January to enable Khobragade return to India following her arrest on charges levelled by her former IBDA Sangeeta Richards.
According to a news source, some of the IBDAs from the US have already returned home. The list of IBDAs in the US and Western Europe was prepared only after the Khobragade row. There were 35-40 IBDAs employed with Indian diplomats based in western Europe till the early part of this year. IBDAs are employed based on verbal or written contract with diplomats.
Diplomats, based on their ranks, get perks for employing domestic help. Indian ambassadors are allowed to take up to 2 IBDAs, sources said. Other diplomats were allowed one. In some countries, the junior-most diplomats (third secretaries) in Indian missions are not permitted to take domestic helps from India Besides the embassy in Washington, India has five consulates Atlanta, Houston, San Francisco, Chicago and New York and a permanent UN Mission in New York.
India has a total of 162 missions and posts including embassies, high commissions, consulates, deputy or assistant high commissions and permanent missions. About 30% to 40% of domestic helps working with diplomats posted in such missions are IBDAs.