Abhinav asked: How can India help transform its unskilled diaspora in West Asia into a skilled force for the mutual benefit of all the three i.e. the host nation, India & the diaspora?

Reply: West Asia, especially the Gulf region, is host to almost nine million Indians, who are working not only for their livelihood but are also contributing towards the economic growth of their respective host countries.

In the past, it was observed that a number of Indians who were lured for jobs in West Asia were exploited, with women workers often even abused, by their employers or illegal/unregistered recruiting agents, as they did not possess the required skills to earn a decent living and also lacked proper information about their rights. In the last few years, India has undertaken various initiatives and collaborative efforts aimed at enhancing their skill sets as well as facilitating their safe and legal migration.

Schemes such as “eMigrate”, an initiative of the Overseas Employment Division, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA); “Skill India”, led by National Skill Development Mission, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE); and Surakshit Jaaye, Prashikshit Jaaye or ‘Go Safe, Go Trained’, an awareness campaign launched as part of Pre-Departure Orientation and Training (PDOT), a collaborative effort between MEA and MSDE, are aimed at ensuring that the Indian migrant workers are better informed and trained and their rights protected.

For more on the subject, please refer to the following:

“National Skill Development Mission: A Framework for Implementation”, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India.

“Surakshit Jaaye, Prashikshit Jaaye”, Indian Centre for Migration, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, January 2017.

“National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015”, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India.

Posted on February 21, 2019