NEW DELHI: In a bid to address the myriad problems of migrants as well as to draft policies to regulate the movement of Indians overseas for work or education, the government has finalised the draft Emigration Bill , which is now open for feedback from the public.The bill comes weeks after the Parliament standing committee made a special appeal to the ministry of external affairs to complete drafting of the proposed legislation.The central feature of the new act would be establishment of an Emigration Management Authority to oversee welfare and protection of emigrants."It will be the overarching authority to provide policy guidance, undertaking comprehensive review and stocktaking on emigration management related matters," says the MEA in an explainer. It aims to be a multi-ministry agency, with representatives from the ministries of home and human resources besides states. An emigration bureau will be led by a joint secretary to handle operational matters. The new legislation aims to create nodal offices in all states .The MEA came under some criticism for inordinate delay in getting the legislation going. In its report, the standing committee said, "If the country of origin is negligent about its duties towards its migrant workers, how can we have expectations from the destination countries?"The bill makes mandatory the registration/intimation of all categories of Indian nationals proceeding for overseas employment as well as students pursuing higher studies abroad.The ministry envisages a digital platform for doing this to keep the emigration process hassle-free. The NDA government had set up a MADAD portal to assist Indian workers in distress overseas, particularly in the Gulf countries .The existing Act of 1983 dealt with mainly Indian workers going to the Gulf.