As officials in at least two States — Uttar Pradesh and Haryana — prepare to screen thousands of applicants for jobs in Israel, activists and trade unions say that the Union government is bypassing all protections it normally employs for Indian labour going abroad to conflict zones. In fact, these workers will not even be required to register themselves on the ‘e-migrate’ portal run by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and several government Ministries and agencies have disclaimed any responsibility for the welfare and safety of the workers.
Activists are planning to move the courts after the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) issued a detailed document calling for workers. Calling the move “inhumane”, the activists warned that the government’s decision to fast-track the recruitment of Indian construction workers, nurses and caregivers even while Israeli operations continue in Gaza and the West Bank will put them in harm’s way.
The latest push to screen Indian workers comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “advance” the date of arrival of workers, during a telephone call on December 19.
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