Indrani Bagchil, reporting for Times of India:

As a first step, India is working on what is called a “farm-to-port” project, said Amar Sinha, secretary in ministry of external affairs.

This would be something similar to a special economic zone but in the style of a corporatised farm, where crops would be grown keeping a specific UAE market in mind, with dedicated logistics infrastructure all the way to the port.

Interesting. The UAE relies heavily on import to cater to its foodstuff needs, and is also a logistics hub in the region. This would mean a ‘dedicated’ farming grounds for the UAE population — an area they are limited in due to soil conditions.

Additionally:

India and the Gulf nations, Sinha said, are coordinating their websites and databases to protect expat labour, so Indian workers travelling to the GCC countries don’t get duped by exploitative agents or employers, as has been the case in several countries, notably Saudi Arabia.

This would probably go down as a substantive reform for Indian labour in the years to come.