The Saudi government on Wednesday pledged to assist the thousands of Indian workers who are stranded without food or pay in the kingdom, stepping in to help resolve a crisis that has prompted the direct intervention of the Indian government.

Around 3,000 Indian employees of Saudi Oger Ltd. were left without food after the cash-strapped construction company effectively shut the kitchens of several labor camps two weeks ago. The workers, many of whom haven’t been paid in seven months, took to the streets in protest against the company.

The Indian government has dispatched officials to Saudi Arabia and set up distribution centers in and around the city of Jeddah to provide food staples like potatoes, onions and lentils to the hungry workers.

Mufarrej al-Haqbani, Saudi Arabia’s minister of labor and social development, said the government is taking over the distribution of humanitarian aid, and that his ministry has signed agreements with contractors to provide workers with food and medical assistance.

“What happened is that a company made an unacceptable mistake,” Mr. al-Haqbani told reporters. He said the Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has ordered all necessary steps to resolve the issue “at the expense of Saudi Arabia.”