New Delhi
31 July 2007
If you are looking for a job overseas and cannot think beyond the
Gulf, the government wants you to expand your horizons.
Aping corporates that are diversify their business interests, Union Minister of Overseas
Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi on Tuesday said that he wants to encourage diversification of
the migration process to a region where the future is likely to throw up major
opportunities in the years to come.
His Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and the International Organistion for Migration
have signed a memorandum of understanding for a project called "Regional Dialogue
and Facilitating Managed and Legal Migration between Asia and the European Union".
"[This Asia-EU project will help us to] respond to the international labour market, which
will immensely benefit Indian workers," he was to explain later. At present most skilled
and semi-skilled workers from India migrate to the Gulf countries. About 3.5 million
Indians live in the six Gulf countries of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.
The minister believed that the project will help the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs to
develop key competencies for designing and administering plannd overseas
employment programmes.
He suggested that the memorandum of understanding with the International Organisation
for Migration is also a part of his Ministry's ongoing efforts for streamlining migration
management and ensuring the protection of emigrants.
An official, in turn, said that the five European Union (EU) member-states of Germany, the
United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and Italy will collaborate in this project. He explained
that for a country like India, which has a sizeable population of young people under the
under age of 25, this project held help to improve placement capacity of recruiting
agencies and to put out information relating to employment opportunities. He felt that
doing so will help the Ministry to enhance its capacity to assess and respond to the
manpower needs in the EU.
In response to another question, the minister said that the amended Emigration Act,
1983, was awaiting Cabinet approval. The Ministry was also seeking an amendment to
the Emigration Act, 1983 so that the Ministry can prosecute unscrupulous recruiting
agents, who exploit Indians looking for jobs abroad. Today only state governments are
empowered to do so.
He also said that a committee headed by Secretary Nirmal Singh could be expected to
submit its recommendation soon on how best to protect the interests of workers in
general and women in particular.
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