As many as 30,000 women have been abandoned by their émigré husbands, according to one Indian government estimate; activists say the real figures are probably much higher as most cases still go unreported. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), established in 2004 to look after the welfare of an estimated 20 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIS), launched a scheme earlier this year to provide counseling and legal and financial aid for Indian wives abandoned abroad. Closer to home, it has published a booklet for women planning to marry émigrés, to help them verify the credentials of their prospective spouses and their families, take proper legal precautions and seek help if things go wrong.